An argument could be made that the workforce is inherently a place of great torment. Regardless of the job, its location or its duties, the idea of giving approximately one-third of your life to a company can sound absolutely terrifying. It will then come as no surprise that the COVID-19 pandemic and the return-towork model many companies have adopted in recent years have only exacerbated things.
Apple TV+ first tapped into this feeling of unease and distrust in the workplace with its 2022 workplace thriller series, “Severance,” starring Adam Scott (“Parks and Recreation”) and Patricia Arquette (“Medium”), and now it is back, working with horror movie master producer A24, for a new 10-episode thriller drama.
“Sunny,” premiering Wednesday, July 10, on Apple TV+, follows American expat Suzie (Rashida Jones, “Parks and Recreation”), whose life in Kyoto, Japan, is thrown into disarray “when her husband and son disappear in a mysterious plane crash” (per Apple TV+). Understandably inconsolable and completely lost in the world without her family, Suzie is soon presented with a robot companion, named Sunny, voiced by Joanna Sotomura (“Wayward Guide”). A gift from the “refrig-
eration company” for which her husband worked, Suzie comes to realize that the man she married may have been leading an entirely different life in the workplace for several years.
Feeling compelled to accept Sunny as a gesture from her late husband and his co-workers, Suzie at first “resents Sunny’s attempts to fill the void in her life,” but as time goes on and the two get closer acquainted with one another, Sunny becomes Suzie’s only connection to her family, eventually leading the expat into a complicated and dangerous underworld that “Suzie never knew existed.” Equal parts moody and action-packed, Suzie’s quest to unravel her husband’s work life and the mystery behind the plane crash that claimed her family drives both the plot and her growing relationship with the titular robot.
While Rashida Jones is without a doubt the biggest draw for American audiences — at least insofar as the cast is concerned — fans of recent Japanese cinema may recognize her onscreen husband, Masa, from the 2021 Oscar-winning drama “Drive My Car.” Hidetoshi Nishijima, also known for his roles as Yutaka Yoshii in 1998’s “License to Live” and for voicing Honjo in Studio Ghibli’s Oscar-nominated 2013 film “The Wind Rises,” appears in flashbacks and dream sequences throughout the
July 06 – July 12, 2024
‘Sunny’ days ahead: A24, Apple TV+ join forces for Rashida Jones thriller series
10 episodes to provide context and to lead Suzie and Sunny toward the details of his death.
Other actors in the new Apple TV+ series include Jun Kunimura (“The Wailing,” 2016) as Yuki Tanaka, singer-songwriter Annie the Clumsy (“Miss Osaka,” 2021) as Mixxy, Japanese actress You (“Nobody Knows,” 2004) as Hime and Taiwanese native Judy Ongg (“Money Wars”) as Noriko Sakamoto.
Created for the screen by Katie Robbins, who also wrote Showtime’s “The Affair” and Prime Video’s “The Last Tycoon,” “Sunny” is based on a novel by Japan-based Irish novelist and 2018 Prix Mystère de la critique winner Colin O’Sullivan.
O’Sullivan’s 2018 novel, “The Dark Manual,” follows Suzie Sakamoto, who, in the source material, is an Irishwoman who “spends her days drinking heavily and cursing the home robot that takes care of all her domestic needs.”
Per GoodReads.com, “She despises the thing her dead husband designed and is under the impression that it is about to do her harm.” Unfortunately, the more Suzie tries to ignore the eerie feeling creeping up her spine, the more she realizes she may have to find the so-called “Dark Manual” and learn how to turn off her robot helper for good.
Horoscopes
The luckiest signs this week:
LIBRA, SCORPIO AND SAGITTARIUS
ARIES
You may be asked to manage a project. Despite the demanding nature of the situation, this will boost your self-esteem and increase your self-confidence.
TAURUS
Whether on holiday or not, you could spend much of your week in the comfort of your home. Family concerns may require your attention. You may need to rest for your health.
GEMINI
You may struggle to communicate with certain people this week. They may take longer to get back to you, even if you’ve left multiple messages. Patience is essential, whether the matter is urgent or not.
CANCER
Your finances will be top of mind this week. You must review your budget and check your bills carefully. Identifying potential errors can help you save money.
LEO
It’s time to act! You’ll feel the need to improve your situation and start fresh. Dare to leave your comfort zone. This week will mark the start of a new and exciting chapter in your life.
VIRGO
It’s essential to think before you act. The bigger your plans, the more crucial it is to think things through. Once you start, everything will fall into place.
LIBRA
You could participate in a political or community event. You’ll find that you move forward more quickly and efficiently as part of a team. A friend may demand a lot from you, and you may struggle to refuse them.
SCORPIO
Summer is an excellent time to launch a project or redefine your career. You’re in a good position to start your own business and achieve great success.
SAGITTARIUS
If you haven’t already, plan your summer holidays as soon as possible. The more time you spend planning, the more memorable your vacation will be. Expect pleasant surprises and enjoyable moments.
CAPRICORN
This week, you may be overwhelmed by a range of emotions that will prompt you to consider making significant changes in your life. Moving could make you feel nostalgic and sentimental.
AQUARIUS
You may finally be able to get along with people at work or in your personal life. You’re in an excellent position to apply for a loan or reach an agreement.
PISCES
You should prioritize your professional life this week. Pay close attention to small details. Although time-consuming, it will ensure you get things right.
New Streaming Movies & Shows
“Sam Morril: You’ve Changed” (July 9)
In his distinct, laid-back style, comedian Sam Morril effortlessly riffs on the worst person he’s ever dated, the complications of getting older and his perspective on everything from cable news to the perils of social media in this punchline-heavy comedy special.
Word Search
(July 9)
Lifelong friends
when they
ever.
“Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar”
Barb (Annie Mumolo) and Star (Kristen Wiig) embark on the adventure of a lifetime
decide to leave their small Midwestern town for the first time
Where all the top choices can be found in one place!
“Receiver” (July 10)
It’s been said that there’s no more difficult position in the NFL than the quarterback — but throwing the pass is only half the story. This docuseries follows five of the NFL’s best pass catchers throughout the 2023 season on and off the field, including Davante Adams, Justin Jefferson, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“Descendants:
(July 12)
Headmaster of Auradon Prep (China Anne McClain) extends an invite to the school to Red (Kylie Cantrall).The Queen of Hearts has long held a grudge against Auradon, especially against Cinderella (Brandy Norwood), and seizes the opportunity to seek revenge. Now, Red must team up with Cinderella’s daughter Chloe (Malia Baker) as they travel back in time to try to undo the traumatic event that set the Queen of Hearts down her villainous path.
BY JAY BOBBIN
Q: Now that Tracy Spiridakos has left “Chicago P.D.” as a regular cast member, is it possible that she’ll be back on the show as a guest?
A: That’s one of those “never say ‘never’” answers, since the actress made it clear at the time of her exit that she maintains great affection for her colleagues on both sides of the cameras on the NBC police drama. She said she de nitely would return to Chicago to visit then, if only behind the scenes … but if there was a sensible story-driven reason for her Hailey Upton character to reappear on-screen, one would think Spiridakos would give it serious consideration. The way Upton departed from “Chicago P.D.” left a possible way for her to resurface, since she was looking at the websites of agencies such as the FBI and the CIA, so it seemed that continuing in law enforcement in some way was on very much on her mind. In fact, Upton already has had a taste of working within one of those organizations: Spiridakos did a crossover guest shot in the role in a Season 2 episode of CBS’s “FBI,” executive-produced (as “Chicago P.D.” is) by Dick Wolf.
The Rise of Red”
Best Clint Eastwood MOVIES
BY JAY BOBBIN
“A Fistful of Dollars” (1964): During a hiatus from his television Western “Rawhide,” Clint Eastwood went to Spain to work with director Sergio Leone on what would be the rst Man With No Name saga. The rest, as they say, is history. The iconic lm will be shown by Turner Classic Movies on Tuesday, July 9, along with “For a Few Dollars More” and “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
“Hang ‘Em High” (1968): Proving he also could make an effective screen Western in the American style, Eastwood played a wrongful hanging victim saved, deputized ... and lled with vengeance. Turner Classic Movies shows the lm Saturday, June 5.
“The Beguiled” (1971): A banner year for Eastwood started with this memorably eerie drama of a wounded Civil War soldier recuperating at an all-girl school.
“Play Misty for Me” (1971): Eastwood turned director for the rst time with this “Fatal Attraction” forerunner about a disc jockey plagued by an obsessed fan (Jessica Walter).
“Dirty Harry” (1971): Another iconic Eastwood role began with director Don Siegel’s original tale of the maverick San Francisco police detective.
“Thunderbolt and Lightfoot” (1974): Though Eastwood has top billing, he knowingly lets Jeff Bridges and George Kennedy have the showier roles in this engrossing robbery tale.
“The Outlaw Josey Wales” (1976): Back in the Civil War milieu, director and star excelled as a peaceable man driven to violence by his family’s massacre.
“Bronco Billy” (1980): Eastwood tried something enjoyably different with this character study of a spirited showman whose traveling Wild West attraction has fallen on hard times.
“Unforgiven” (1992): The Oscars nally recognized Eastwood for his Western saga of an ex-gunman opposing a corrupt lawman (Gene Hackman).
“The Bridges of Madison County” (1995): As director and co-star, Eastwood was inspired as Meryl Streep’s suitor in the middleaged romance based on Robert James Waller’s bestseller.
“Million Dollar Baby” (2004): Again in Oscar-caliber form, star and director Eastwood did much to bring Hilary Swank her second Academy Award in this boxing drama.
“Gran Torino” (2008): In what he said at the time would be his last acting role (it wasn’t), Eastwood — again the director here, too — was ideal as a crusty war veteran forced by a neighbor’s plight to face his prejudices.
More than a few good actors fuel ‘A Few Good Men’
BY JAY BOBBIN
“You can’t handle the truth!”
Certain lines of dialogue become so legendary, it’s known immediately which projects they come from. So it is with the sentence delivered by Jack Nicholson in an intense military courtroom scene in “A Few Good Men,” Aaron Sorkin’s play that Rob Reiner brought to film in an effective and involving 1992 movie version that BBC America shows Monday, July 8.
Nicholson plays hard-as-nails Navy Colonel Nathan Jessep, a base commander investigated by several JAG lawyers — portrayed by Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Kevin Pollak — after a soldier’s death leads to the court martial of two of the deceased man’s peers (Wolfgang Bodison, James Marshall). Cruise’s character, Lt. Daniel Kaffee, has a carefree attitude that annoys the morte studious Lt. Cmdr. Joanne Galloway (Moore). However, his tactics have a usefulness that gives her a certain appreciation of his approach, if not completely.
Still, they have defendants who aren’t always cooperative, posing complications as the attorneys try to get to the bottom of a “Code Red” order that apparently was the cause of the death. Kaffee suspects that Jessep was the source of that command, setting up a battle of wills between the two men that comes to involve Jessep’s counsel (Kevin Bacon) and other officers under Jessep’s oversight (Kiefer Sutherland, “ER’ alum Noah Wyle).
Sorkin adapted “A Few Good Men” for the screen, and while he and Reiner hold to the plot details originally set down by the project, the movie incarnation leaves plenty of room for sheer star power. Cruise plus Nicholson plus Moore still would be a major combination now, and it certainly was when the picture had its theatrical run … with those stars’ presence adding considerable wattage to what might have been considered material that was a bit more dry in other hands.
One byproduct was that lots of audience members knew much more about certain military procedures from the film Another was that as iconic as Nicholson already was, his performance here joined the ranks of his best-known work, of the sort that others have imitated endlessly over the years since.
J.T. Walsh, J,A, Preston, Cuba Gooding Jr. and frequent Sorkin collaborator Joshua Malina (“The West Wing”) also turn up in the exceptionally solid cast. In the end, the Cruise-Moore and Cruise-Nicholson sequences have the most lasting impact, which has done much to keep the movie a cable staple for three decades and counting.
“A Few Good Men” has more than a few good moments, thanks to its skilled personnel both in front of the cameras and behind them, and that fact seems sure to keep it well-watched for many years to come.
Healing harmonies: Melissa Etheridge embraces her road to recovery
Fall head over heels: A love story begins in ‘The Bachelorette’ season premiere
BY SARAH PASSINGHAM
Love is in the air this summer and one lucky lady is about to pick her potential husband from a pool of 25 beaus. Dating game show “The Bachelorette” is back with a brand-new, history-making season, premiering Monday, July 8, on ABC. Former “Bachelor” contestant Jenn Tran, a student in Miami’s Barry University physician assistant program, is the show’s first Asian American lead.
After making a splash on Joey Graziadei’s season of “The Bachelor,” Tran became a fan favorite. She spent several weeks getting to know Graziadei, a professional tennis coach, before being sent home in the last rose ceremony before the all-important hometown dates.
While she may not have “won” that season, Tran got so much more when she was announced as the next Bachelorette during the “After the Final Rose” special back in March. Tran was crowned by the last “Bachelorette” lead, Charity Lawson, whose love story ended in a heartwarming onscreen engagement.
New Jersey native Tran, whose parents immigrated to the United States from Vietnam before she was born, has lived in the midwest and Florida to attend undergraduate and master’s school, but is looking forward to finding love abroad, she told Entertainment Tonight.
“I don’t know where we’re going yet, but I can’t wait to find out,” Tran said just after she was named Bachelorette. She revealed her lifelong holiday dream, saying, “I’ve always wanted to go to Africa my entire life. I love animals and I would love to go out in the sanctuaries, go on lots of safari rides, all that stuff. So maybe that’s in the cards.”
“We’re really breaking the mold this season,” Tran said, connecting her monumental season with a major change to the norms of the Bachelor franchise. Season 28 of “The Bachelor” saw the last rose ceremony at the famous Agoura Hills, California, home known as “Bachelor Mansion,” home to many seasons’ first impression night dramas, where sparks flew and tears were shed.
“I feel like a new mansion is the perfect way to break the mold ... I’m gonna bless it with some really good vibes,” Tran promised. The new home of Bachelor franchise premieres is Hummingbird Nest Ranch, where “Listen to Your Heart” was filmed, the hybrid dating and music competition series that aired in the early days of the 2020 COVID-19 lockdowns — so don’t worry if you can’t exactly remember the home those songbirds lived in.
BY CAROLINE COLLACUTT
View from the Couch
The 25 eligible bachelors vying for Tran’s heart have come from far and wide to file into the shiny new Bachelor Mansion and make their best first impression on the lead as well as the TV-viewing audience at home. ABC releases official contestant bios ahead of season premieres, and while they are always worth a read in full for the creative fun facts, here are Tran’s potential future husbands: Aerospace engineer Aaron (29, Tulsa, Oklahoma); Austin, a sales executive (28, San Diego); real estate broker Brendan (30, Vancouver, British Columbia); health and safety manager Brett (28, Manheim, Pennsylvania); aesthetics consultant Brian (33, Boynton Beach, Florida); Dakota, a sommelier (27, Paradise Valley, Arizona); Freight company owner Devin (28, Houston); medical student Dylan (24, Elk Grove, California); Grant, a day trader who pivoted from professional basketball to finance (30, Houston); Medical device salesman Hakeem (29, Schaumberg, Illinois); Jahaan, a startup founder (28, New York City); Jeremy, a real estate investor (29, New York City); medical student John (25, Delray Beach, Florida); Jonathon, a creative director (27, Los Angeles); financial analyst Kevin (35, Denver); Marcus is a veteran (31, Raleigh, North Carolina); luxury event planner Marvin, (28, Santa Monica, California); insurance executive Matt (27, Atlanta); Algebra teacher Caleb (aka Moze), who played in the XFL before returning to the classroom (25, Albany, New York); Ricky, a pharmaceutical representative and former professional baseball player (28, Miami); Sam M., a contractor (27, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina); Sam N., an entrepreneur (25, Carlsbad, California); pet portrait photographer Spencer (30, Dallas); Thomas N., a retirement adviser (31, Tucker, Georgia); and Tomas A., a physiotherapist (27, Toronto).
BY JAY BOBBIN
“CIVIL WAR”
Writer-director Alex Garland’s (“Ex Machina”) involving and greatly unsettling drama boasts one of the strongest performances yet by Kirsten Dunst, as she plays a war photographer caught up in the violently escalating title conflict, which pits the U.S. government against secessionists. The Dunst character joins other journalists (Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaenny, Stephen McKinley Hendrickson) in covering the battle as it makes its way toward the nation’s capital. The story takes a frank approach with the
subject matter, which stays in the tradition of reporters-in-war tales while adding very contemporary aspects; Nick Offerman portrays the President of the United States, and Jesse Plemons (Dunst’s husband) makes an uncredited appearance. DVD extras: theatrical trailer; “making-of” documentary. *** (R: AS, P, GV) (Also on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, Digital and On Demand)
“ABIGAIL”
Several criminals get a lot more than they bargained for in this melodrama, as they hold a young ballet dancer (played by Alisha Weir, of “Matilda the Musical”) prisoner while awaiting an anticipated ransom from her crime-kingpin father (Matthew Goode). The scheme definitely doesn’t go according to plan, though, since the youngster turns out to be a vampire who graphically turns her otherworldly abilities on her captors. Melissa Barrera, Dan Stevens (“Downton Abbey”) and Kathryn Newton (“Freaky”) are among those playing the kidnappers, with Giancarlo Esposito as their leader. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, who had much to do with recharging the “Scream” franchise (with Barrera as one of their stars
in that), directed the film. DVD extras: four “making-of” documentaries; audio commentary by Bettinelli-Olpin, Gillett and editor Michael P. Shawyer; deleted and extended scenes; outtakes. ***
(R: AS, P, GV) (Also on Blu-ray, Digital and On Demand)
“TRUE DETECTIVE: NIGHT COUNTRY”
The first season of the HBO anthology series to get its own subtitle, this fourth round of the franchise brought Oscar winner Jodie Foster back to television to play a police chief in an Alaskan town. A state trooper (played by actress and boxer Kali Reis) joins her in the search for eight vanished employees of a research station, with a bizarre physiological clue suggesting that the mystery might be connected to a murder that has become a cold case – both literally and figuratively in this instance. Fiona Shaw, Finn Bennett, Christopher Eccleston and John Hakes also appear, but it’s the tense teamwork between Foster and Reis that mainly keeps this drama moving along and involving. ***
(Not rated: AS, N, P, GV) (Also on Blu-ray)
Exploring the healing, transcendent power of music — and the vital importance of human connection — the two-part docuseries “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken,” directed by Brian Morrow (“Sheryl Crow: Forever”) and Amy Scott (“Hal,” 2018), debuts Tuesday, July 9, on Paramount+. Inspiration can come from anywhere: a moment, a scene, a person. For singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge (“Yes I Am”), that inspiration came straight from the Topeka Correctional Facility in Kansas, an all-female prison that is home to five incarcerated women with whom Etheridge formed a lifelong bond.
As the women wrote to Etheridge, penning their struggles with substance abuse and the ever-winding road of recovery, Etheridge then went on to create and, eventually, perform an original song based on the women’s experiences — “I’m Not Broken” — made to bridge the gap and build a connection between all those battling addiction, for whatever reason.
As it details Etheridge’s creative process and describes the unbreakable bonds she has forged with the women, the documentary also delves deeper, exploring, according to Paramount, themes of female incarceration, redemption, substance abuse, generational trauma, grief and healing.
“With female incarceration rates up [700%] since 1980,” they say, “Etheridge bonds with the women through the conduit of music as an
“THE BOY AND THE HERON”
The most recent winner of the Oscar for best animated feature, this Japanese fantasy from internationally acclaimed writer-director Hayao Miyazaki (“Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro”) explores the connection between the title characters after the youngster’s mother dies during the Pacific War. The boy is led on a grand adventure by the heron that comes to involve toads, pelicans and other creatures – plus a “Birdman” who alternates between being a nemesis and an ally as the plot unfolds. In the English-language version, Robert Pattinson (“Twilight”) supplies the voice of the heron; others in the vocal cast include Christian Bale, Mark Hamill, Gemma Chan, Florence Pugh, Willem Dafoe, Dave Bautista, Leah Lewis and Dan Stevens.
**** (PG-13: V)
“CHALLENGERS”
Coming to home video right quite soon after its theatrical release, this drama casts Zendaya –who’s had a big year on screens so far with this and “Dune: Part Two” – as a tennis star turned coach who lives life very much
act of empathy, understanding and hope.”
Etheridge went on to make a state ment of her own regarding the documentary, adding: “I’m excited for audiences to join me on this powerful journey and hear these remarkable stories filled with pain and struggle but also hope and healing.
“I hope that this docuseries shows viewers the challenges that women face in our prison system while also serving as a resource to those who currently are struggling,” Etheridge continues.
The struggles discussed in Etheridge’s song — and throughout the documentary — resonate deeply with the singer, as the artist’s 21-year-old son, Beckett Cypher, died in 2020 as a victim of the opioid crisis. While navigating her own grief, Etheridge now “works to understand and interrupt the cycle of addiction” (per Paramount+), while connecting with other women currently struggling with aspects of the same complex cycle.
From executive producers Kathy Rivkin Daum (“Moonage Daydream,” 2022) and William Kennedy (“Ironweed,” 1987) for BMG Films, Deb Klein (“Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain,” 2022) for Primary Wave Music, Bruce Gillmer (“How Music Got Free”) and Michael Maniaci (“Say It in Song”) for MTV Entertainment Studios and Etheridge herself, “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken” premieres Tuesday, July 9, on Paramount+.
her own way. That makes things quite complicated for everyone involved when her tennis-playing husband (Mike Faist, now in “The Bikeriders”), who’s in a downward spiral professionally, has to compete on the court against a former friend (“The Crown” Primetime Emmy Award winner Josh O’Connor) who also happens to be the wife’s ex-beau. Director Luca Guadagnino’s (“Call Me by Your Name”) frequently frank film was shot principally in the Boston area; the score is by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“The Social Network”). *** (R: AS, N, P) (Also on Blu-ray)
Coming Home Soon
“THE SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS MOVIE” (4K ULTRA HD) (JULY 16) “HALO: SEASON TWO” (JULY 23)
“JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS – PART THREE” (JULY 23) “THE THREE
