The Brainerd Dispatch - Today's Entertainment Magazine
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1345177
Brainerd Dispatch • February 28 - March 6, 2021 •19 By Dana Simpson TV Media WHAT'S NEW ON HULU "Boss Level" (2021) How many times would you die to save the one you love from just one death of her own? Find out just how far a man can push his limits to break a never-ending cycle and reunite with his one true love in "Boss Level," a new film coming to Hulu on Friday, March 5. Continu - ing in the tradition of time-loop films such as "Groundhog Day," (1993), "Happy Death Day" (2017) and "Palm Springs" (2020), "Boss Level" stars Frank Grillo ("The Grey," 2011) as Roy Pulver, a retired special forces officer who has been killed approximately 150 times at the order of the insidious Col. Clive Ventor (Mel Gibson, "Braveheart," 1995). Stuck in a loop that forces him to endlessly relive the day of his death, Pulver learns from the mistakes that led to him getting killed in past instances, hoping that it will keep him alive long enough to break the loop and move on. Instead, he ends up dying in a series of different manners at the hands of various different assassins before he comes to, once again, at the beginning of his death day. Determined to beat the assassins at their own game and find his way to the love of his life — who is consequently the one woman who could set him back on track (Naomi Watts, "Mulholland Drive," 2001) — Pulver resolves to train himself to defend his life at all costs. Di - rected by Joe Carnahan ("Smokin' Aces," 2006), this high-octane action film also stars Ken Yeong ("The Hangover," 2009), Annabelle Wallis ("The Mummy," 2017), Michelle Yeoh ("Crazy Rich Asians," 2018), Will Sasso ("Loudermilk") and former professional wrestler Quinton "Rampage" Jackson ("The Midnight Meat Train," 2008). WHAT'S NEW ON NETFLIX "Moxie" (2021) Take a stand and show your "Mox- ie" with this new film directed by Amy Poehler ("Baby Mama," 2008) when it joins the Netflix lineup on Wednesday, March 3. While happy to be slipping under the radar at her toxic, sexist and hormone-raging high school, 16-year-old Vivian (Hadley Robinson, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things," 2020) can't help but notice the disgusting patterns emerging all around her. From a series of crude rankings of the girls' best physical assets to the double standards that exist systemically within the high school's code of conduct, Vivian finds inspiration in her mother's (Poehler) rebellious past in teenage activism. Taking stock of the attitudes of those all around her, Vivian decides to no longer keep her head down and, instead, "smash the patriarchy" as her mother suggested because, as Poehler's character states in the trailer, "What else are you going to do? Sit back and do nothing?" Deciding to tackle the toxicity head on, Vivian produces Moxie, a maga- zine dedicated to fem-forward attitudes and the reclamation of the female students' bodies and minds. Sadly, the adults in charge of running the school aren't quite as taken by the new revolution as their young female students. Following in her comedy-BFF Tina Fey's ("Mean Girls," 2004) shoes, Poehler's "Moxie" is a reflection of high school society (and society at large) based on the adolescent work of fiction titled "Moxie: A Novel" by Jennifer Mathieu. Written for the screen by Tamara Chestna ("After," 2019) and Dylan Meyer ("XOXO," 2016), this edgy teen-comedy film also stars Nico Hiraga ("Booksmart," 2019), Anjelika Washington ("Tall Girl," 2019), Patrick Schwarzenegger ("Daniel Isn't Real," 2019), Josie Totah ("Saved by the Bell") and Marcia Gay Harden ("Into the Wild," 2007). WHAT'S NEW ON DISNEY+ "Raya and the Last Dragon" (2021) Live out your destiny with a little help from your friends (and maybe your ancestors, too) and don't miss the premiere of "Raya and the Last Dragon," coming to Disney+ on Friday, March 5. Equal parts "Lara Croft: Tomb Raider" (2001) and "Moana" (2016), with a bit of "Mulan" (2004) thrown in for good measure, this animated action-adventure fantasy tells the harrowing tale of Raya (Kelly Marie Tran, "Sorry for Your Loss"), a teenager who will stop at nothing to protect her people and restore peace to the world. Five hundred years ago, humans and dragons were living together in harmony in Kumandra. When a collective of evil monsters known as the Druun threatened the land's very existence, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save the humans. Now, half a millennium later, the Druun have returned, and it is up to Raya, protector of the Dragon Gem, to find the last dragon so, together, they can eliminate the threat of the sinister creatures once and for all. However, the independent Raya will soon learn that it'll take more than dragon magic alone to change the world; she must also find some magic within herself and learn to trust others. Written by Adele Lim ("Crazy Rich Asians, 2018) and Qui Nguyen ("Incorporated"), with original music by composer James Newton Howard ("King Kong," 2005), "Raya and the Last Dragon" features the voices of actor and rapper Awkwafina ("Ocean's 8," 2018), Gemma Chan ("Let Them All Talk," 2020), Sandra Oh ("Killing Eve"), Daniel Dae Kim ("Hawaii Five-0") and Alan Tudyk ("Firefly"), who stars as Raya's pill-bug-meets- armadillo creature sidekick, Tuk Tuk. BINGE NOW ON PRIME "Desperate Housewives" Before the Real Housewives franchise came on to the scene in 2006, there was a different set of housewives ruling the screen. Now, 17 years after the series first aired, all eight seasons of "Desper- ate Housewives" are available to stream on Prime. Go for a walk down Wisteria Lane and take part in all of the drama that follows a life-changing event when the neighborhood is rocked by the mysterious and unexpected suicide of one of their closest friends, Mary Alice (Brenda Strong, "13 Reasons Why"). In a unique plot move, Mary Alice's disembodied voice takes over as narrator and, much to the pleasure of the viewers, given her closeness to many of the women in the neighborhood, she has taken a lot of secrets to her grave — secrets she won't mind exposing now that she has the narrative power. Star- ring Teri Hatcher ("Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman") as down-to-earth Susan, Marcia Cross ("Quantico") as the posh, pearl-donning Bree, Eva Longoria ("The Sentinel") as the feisty Ga- brielle, Felicity Huffman ("Tammy's Always Dying") as frazzled mother Lynette and Nicollette Sheridan ("Knots Landing") as neighbor- hood temptress Edie, suburban life takes on an eerie and somewhat sinister vibe as secrets emerge and members of the small, perfectly manicured community are forced to take actions they may have never felt possible. Created by writer/pro- ducer Marc Cherry ("Why Women Kill"), this soapy prime-time drama won three Golden Globe Awards during its 180-episode run on the air. Complete with a memorable artistic opening theme by super composer Danny Elfman ("Edward Scissorhands," 1990), this series also saw recurring appearances by Ricardo Chavira ("Selena: The Series"), James Denton ("Good Witch"), Kyle MacLachlan ("Twin Peaks"), Kathryn Joosten ("Bed- time Stories," 2008) and Jesse Metcalfe ("John Tucker Must Die," 2006), whose career skyrocketed after he mastered the "sexy gar- dener" trope. Frank Grillo stars in "Boss Level" Nico Hiraga, Amy Poehler and Hadley Robinson in "Moxie" A scene from "Raya and the Last Dragon"