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‘Dune: Prophecy’ has a high caliber ensemble with fresh promising actors. – Review

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The new HBO Original Series Dune: Prophecy is a prequel from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune. However, the series is based on the 2012 novel Sisterhood of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. which centers around the Sisterhood – the origins of the Bene Gesserit that is set 10,000 years before the birth of Paul Atreides.

Episode 1: The Hidden Hand is a sci-fi fantasy drama with amazing special effects and fascinating scenery. The episode introduces Valya Harkonnen (Emily Watson), and how she becomes the leader of the Sisterhood. Valya trains young women as truthsayers by putting them through rigorous physical and mental conditioning to develop supernatural abilities. They believe the tools to survive is strength – the power of humanity and lies – human’s greatest weapon. Valya also has a sister, Tula Harkonnen (Olivia Williams), who is the Reverend Mother. A power struggle emerges between the sisters. Tula uses power to guide, but Valya uses it to rule.

Meanwhile, Emperor Javicco Corrino (Mark Strong) is entrusted to govern peacefulness in the Imperium, but is faced with his own struggles to maintain power and control by reluctantly deciding to allow the young son (literally a kid) of Duke Ferdinand Richese (Brendan Cowell) to marry his daughter Princess Ynez (Sarah-Sofie Boussnina) to secure an alliance for when she becomes successor to the Golden Lion Throne. Matters intensify with Princess Ynez being influenced by her egocentric brother Constantine Corrino (Josh Heuston) and her lust for control over the Swordmaster Kieran Atreides. Throughout the turmoil, a mysterious solider Desmond Hart (Travis Fimmel) eases his way into the Imperium with the intention to gain Emperor Javicco Corrino’s trust.

It was truly exciting to watch the preview of the first episode Dune: Prophecy on the big screen. Showrunner Alison Schapker is known to emphasize the cinematic visual effects of the imaginative sci-fi world to the screen as evidenced in TV series Lost, The Flash, to critically acclaimed HBO’s series Westworld, and now Dune: Prophecy. Going with a high caliber ensemble accompanied by fresh promising actors will appeal to broader audiences due to the variety of characters and trajectory storyline. Viewers will definitely relate to the premise of the Sisterhood against “thinking machines” (AI technology) to preserve the power of humanity. Dune: Prophecy is scheduled to premiere on HBO Max on November 17, 2024.

Sabrina "Kiddo" is a contributor of movie, television show and film festival reviews. Her passion for film derived from her college days where her rhetoric-writing professor focused on the aspects of screenwriting and music lyrics. She also has a knack for memorizing and repeating movie quotes and catchphrases.

TV / Streaming

Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson join forces once again in the Apple TV comedy series ‘Brothers’

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Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are teaming up for their fourth time for the Apple TV comedy Brothers. The two had previously worked on EdTV, Surfer, Dude, and the first season of the acclaimed hit series True Detective. The new series will premiere two of eight episodes on Wednesday, September 23 and is produced by the pair.

Read the synopsis here: Brothers follows McConaughey and Harrelson, who play fictionalized versions of themselves, and whose friendship is thrown into chaos when they uncover a decades-old secret: they might actually be brothers. After Woody’s daughter’s wedding falls apart, he loads up the family and heads to Austin for an extended stay at Matthew’s ranch. But what begins as a healing getaway quickly spirals when Matthew’s mother, Ma Mac (played by Holland Taylor), accidentally lets slip a long-buried secret that the two friends might actually be brothers. As Woody turns the ranch upside down in pursuit of the truth, Matthew finds himself juggling an entirely different identity crisis: a potential run for Governor of Texas. The result is a heartfelt, chaotic, and wildly funny story about friendship, family, fame, and the messy line between myth and reality.

The ensemble cast starring alongside Harrelson and McConaughey includes Natalie Martinez, Brittany Ishibashi, Nolan Almeida, Ella Grace Helton, Noah Carganilla, Highdee Kuan, Oona Yaffe and Holland Taylor.


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Interviews

‘Star City’ lifts off today on Apple TV: Cast Discusses New Space Race Thriller

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Star City, the new sci-fi thriller spinoff from For All Mankind premieres today on Apple TV with its first two episodes. Set against the backdrop of an alternate-history Soviet space race, the series expands the world of its predecessor with gripping storytelling, exceptional performances, and stunning cinematic visuals.

Fans of For All Mankind will find plenty to admire as Star City raises the stakes with a sharp, emotionally layered script and a powerhouse ensemble cast. Rhys Ifans delivers a standout performance, while showrunners Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, and Ronald D. Moore craft a compelling blend of science fiction and espionage that sets the series apart from anything else currently streaming.

With political intrigue, personal drama, and unpredictable twists at every turn, Star City is poised to keep viewers captivated from beginning to end.

Check out our exclusive cast interviews below.

Alice and Solly talk about stepping into the world of this gripping alternate-history space thriller, exploring the emotional and political tensions at the heart of the Soviet space program, and developing their complex characters within the expanding universe of ‘For All Mankind.’ They also share behind-the-scenes stories from the production and what goes into filming a “spacewalk”.


Ruby and Adam dive into their characters Tanya and Valya Markelova, the emotional toll of life inside the Soviet space program, and the intense atmosphere of this alternate-history thriller. They also talk about working within the expansive world created by Ronald D. Moore, Ben Nedivi, and Matt Wolpert, plus what fans can expect from the series’ gripping exploration of the space race from the Soviet perspective.


In this conversation, Anna and Agnes share insights into building their characters, collaborating with the cast and creators, and what makes ‘Star City’ a compelling new chapter in the world of ‘For All Mankind.’

Synopsis: A bold new chapter inspired by the critically acclaimed space-race drama, “For All Mankind,” “Star City” is a propulsive paranoid thriller that takes us back to the key moment in the alt-history retelling of the space race — when the Soviet Union became the first nation to put a man on the moon. But this time, we explore the story from behind the Iron Curtain, showing the lives of the cosmonauts, the engineers and the intelligence officers embedded among them in the Soviet space program, and the risks they all took to propel humankind forward.

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TV / Streaming

See the first teaser for “Dear Killer Nannies,” a Latin American series inspired by the childhood of Juan Pablo Escobar

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The series stars Janer Villareal (teenage Juan Pablo), Miguel Tamayo (young Juan Pablo), Miguel Ángel García (young Juan Pablo), Laura Rodríguez (Victoria Henao), Juanita Molina (Angie), Julián Zuluaga (Rodri), Rafael Zea (El Dorado), Danharry Colorado (Tina), Julián Bustamante (Yerry), Julián Díaz (Lagaña), Melanie Dell’ Olmo (Andrea Ochoa), with the special participation of Andrés Delgado (Kiss), Carmen Electra (Margarete), and John Leguizamo as Pablo Escobar Gaviria.

SYNOPSIS: “Dear Killer Nannies” is a gripping coming-of-age series told through Juampi’s perspective as a child, the son of Colombia’s most notorious drug lord, Pablo Escobar Gaviria. As he grows up, Juampi’s world begins to fracture, shaped by his father’s expanding criminal empire and the constant presence of danger — embodied by the hitmen who serve as his “nannies.” Featuring a stellar cast including John Leguizamo as Pablo Escobar Gaviria, the series explores loyalty, fear, and the loss of innocence, revealing the human cost of a childhood spent inside one of history’s most infamous criminal legacies.

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