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THE SUMTER ITEM
Sumter Scene Showtime’s ‘American Rust’ a tale of family, despair and murder
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BY GEORGE DICKIE
Del Harris is a man whose calm, composed exterior belies a war going on inside.
As played by Jeff Daniels (“The Newsroom,” “Steve Jobs”) in the Showtime drama series “American Rust,” premiering Sunday, Sept. 12, he’sthe chief of police in Buell, Pa., a forlorn Rust Belttown outside of Pittsburgh that’s pockmarked by deserted factories and empty, decaying buildings.
A veteran of the war in Iraq, he takes a cocktail of opioids to keep his PTSD at bay but struggles with maintaining the diminishing dosages his doctor prescribed. He has a love interest in Grace (Maura Tierney, “The Affair”), but she also has an exhusband who won’t go away and a son, Billy (AlexNeustaedter, “Colony”), who has a propensity for getting into trouble after turning down a football scholarship and getting dumped by the love of his life, Lee (newcomer Julia Mayorga). But despite everything, Del still pines for Grace and is protective of Billy, even stepping into get the kid probation after he clubbed a guy with a board in a bar fight. But when a dead body turns up in an abandoned mill and Billy is implicated, Del must decide the lengths to which he will go to protect the son of the woman he loves.
Based on the novel by Philipp Meyer, the series is the story of good people making bad choices in places that progress seems to have left behind, the type of people that Daniels, a native Michigander, knows well.
“I am one of those folks that comes from a part of the country that can feel less, can feel inferior, the fly-over country, the you’re-not-fromthe-coasts,” the actor explains. “So I understand that. I’d lived with it as an actor going in and sitting in waiting rooms against people from Yale and Juilliard and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. I understand those people and that person.”
Del’s relationship with Grace is reflective of that. He clearly cares for her but she seems on the fence about him, and when he sees her with her ex, he backs off. But Daniels’ working relationship with Tierney is theopposite. He praises his co-star for being a smart actress, a worthy acting partner and someone who “jumped off the cliff with me” in terms of making acting choices.
Jay Leno
‘You Bet Your Life’ revival brings Jay Leno back to TV regularly Jay Leno back to TV regularly
BY JAY BOBBIN
Once a popular series leaves the air, it isn’t necessarily forever ... and that’s particularly true of game shows.
In recent years, there’s been a real renaissance of that format, especially with ABC getting back into the (forgive us) game by reviving numerous contests for its “Summer Fun & Games” concept. Syndication also has been a big market for such revivals, and it’s about to offer another example proving what’s old is new again.
“You Bet Your Life” nominally was a game, but it also was a showcase for host Groucho Marx to bounce wisecracks off contestants (and, sometimes, off announcer George Fenneman as well). The show’s television rebirth in weekday syndication Monday, Sept. 13, will service another comedy star known for humorous interactions: Jay Leno is taking the reins of the new “You Bet Your Life,” reportedly incorporating some elements from his “Tonight Show,” with his former “Tonight” bandleader Kevin Eubanks by his side again.
Comedy stars generally have fared well as game-showreboot hosts, and here are some other examples.
Steve Harvey: The comedianactor- author has had a long run as the latest survey revealer on “Family Feud,” also parlaying that into “Celebrity Family Feud.”
Drew Carey: Succeeding “The Price Is Right” legend Bob Barker was no easy task, but Carey’s popular tenure is heading into the current daytime version’s 50thanniversary season.
Wayne Brady: Keeping the flame for series originator Monty Hall on “Let’s Make a Deal,” Brady also continues as a regular on the pseudo-game “Whose Line Is It Anyway?”
Alec Baldwin: The oftencomedic actor has spent severalyears holding the same style of stick microphone used by predecessor Gene Rayburn on the current iteration of “Match Game.”
Anthony Anderson: Concurrent with his run on the hit sitcom “black-ish,” Anderson – along with his “Mama Doris” – has been presiding over “To Tell the Truth.”
Joel McHale: Known for his snark, the “Community” alum has been helping players play the odds on “Card Sharks.”
View from the Couch BY JAY BOBBIN
AS Adult situations P Profanity
Showing just how quickly major theatrical features are making their way to physical home video in the current age – though this also had a simultaneous debut on Disney+ (for an extra “Premier Access” charge) – this latest Marvel adventure gives Scarlett Johansson her own showcase in the franchise by drawing the past into what becomes the character’s extremely dangerous present. It turns out she isn’t the only Black Widow, with Florence Pugh playing another one, making the two women allies in fighting a conspiracy that could take them both down if they don’t achieve the opposite first. William Hurt reprises his role from previous Marvel offerings in director Cate Shortland’s supporting cast that also includes two alumni of the James Bond movie “Quantum of Solace,” David Harbour and Olga Kurlyenko; Rachel Weisz, who happens to be the wife of soon-to-exit Bond star Daniel Craig, and Ray Winstone also appear. DVD extras: two “making-of” documentaries; deleted scenes; outtakes; introduction by Shortland. ››› (PG-13: AS, P, V) (Also on Bluray, 4K Ultra HD, Digital and On Demand)
Alec Baldwin again voices the title role in this animated comedy sequel, but the character is now an adult, at least initially ... making room for another Boss Baby from the same family, who has the voice of Amy Sedaris. She has a magical method of letting the brothers with Baldwin and James Marsden’s voices experience their childhood again, enabling them to discover just what a scheming fellow baby (voice of Jeff Goldblum) is plotting against the world of grown-ups. Eva Longoria, Jimmy Kimmel and Lisa Kudrow also are heard in the picture, which received exhibition on the for-pay levels of the Peacock streaming service while it was debuting in theaters. The film also is available on Blu-ray with the original “The Boss Baby” in a two-movie collection. ››› (PG: V) (Also on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, Digital and On Demand)
Kate Winslet recently earned raves for her title performance in this limited HBO series, a mystery about a Pennsylvania detective probing a murder while trying to hold the loose ends of her own life together. Disappearances deepen local concern and make Mare’s case all the more challenging, especially as it comes to involve people she knows extremely well ... and the possibility that they’ve done some heinous things. Julianne Nicholson, Jean Smart, Evan Peters, Guy Pearce, David Denman, Cailee Spaeny and Sosie Bacon (daughter of Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick) also are in the very solid cast. Though a second edition isn’t planned at this point, HBO has said it would entertain that if writer-director Brad Ingelsby comes up with another story that merits telling. DVD extras: four “making-of” documentaries. ›››› (Not rated: AS, P, V) (Also on Blu-ray)
Family Viewing Ratings
V Violence N Nudity GV Graphic Violence
Given its umbrella name, fans of a certain author should be able to guess without much trouble what’s in this release ... J.K Rowling being the writer in question. The eight “Harry Potter” movies certainly have had solid workouts on home video via a number of editions, but this is the first time they’ve been combined with the two films to date in the Rowlinginspired “Fantastic Beasts” franchise. This is a complete set at least for the moment, since work has been going on in and around the coronavirus pandemic on a third “Beasts” movie. Daniel Radcliffe toplines the “Potter” pictures, of course, while Eddie Redmayne gets first billing in the “Beasts” offerings. A Blu-ray edition of this collection is slated to be released in October. ››› (PG and PG-13, varying by title: AS, V) The title perfectly describes what the two central characters feel in this tale that’s currently airing on the PBS anthology series – and will have just wrapped up the broadcasts of its four episodes when this set goes on sale. Mark Bonnar and Jamie Sives play brothers who are driving home from a wedding when they become involved in a hit-and-run accident in Edinburgh. Rather than tell authorities just what happened, they try to cover up the incident, something that becomes increasingly complicated to do as things evolve. Ruth Bradley and Bill Paterson also star. ››› (Not rated: AS, P, V)
