Steve Pond's Blog, page 2055
November 28, 2019
When Does ‘Star Wars: The Mandalorian’ Take Place?
(This post contains a minor spoiler for “Star Wars: The Mandalorian”)
If “Star Wars” fans have things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, “The Mandalorian” is probably among them — it’s the first ever live-action “Star Wars” TV show, and folks seem pretty happy with it so far.
Disney Plus launched with just a single 39-minute episode of “The Mandalorian,” followed by the second last Friday, and the third this week, as the new streaming service defies the binge-watching trend that Netflix started to go with a week-to-week model. The rest of the eight-episode run will come each Friday through the end of the year.
The first few episodes certainly inspire a lot of questions, because it’s very vague on a lot of details. It just kinda drops viewers into this story of a bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) — a Mandalorian like Boba Fett and Jango Fett before him — as he gets tangled up with some bad folks and takes on a job that looks like it’s gonna put him in some deep water.
Also Read: 'Mandalorian' Director Deborah Chow to Direct Obi-Wan Kenobi Series for Disney+
But I’m not gonna get much into those details, because this post isn’t about those spoiler-type details. What it is about is when “The Mandalorian” takes place in relation to the movies and other pieces of “Star Wars” media. And if you just turn on the show and watch it without reading up on it and all that then you don’t have a lot of clues to work with.
The answer, by the way, is that “The Mandalorian” is set a few years after “Return of the Jedi.” This is not a secret, as Jon Favreau and co. have said numerous times that it’s set between the Original Trilogy and the new Disney trilogy — which take place 30 years apart, which leaves a pretty huge gap of time. But it’s important to note that it’s much closer to “Return of the Jedi” than it is to “The Force Awakens.”
Where we are in “The Mandalorian” is just a bit after the “Aftermath” novels, which detailed the collapse of the Empire’s power after the second Death Star was destroyed and the Emperor defeated. The Empire’s collapse is a recent state of affairs in the show, as we see when the Mandalorian’s client (Carl Weathers) tries to pay him with Imperial credits, which the bounty scoffs at because “the Empire’s gone.”
Also Read: 'The Mandalorian': How Pedro Pascal's Bounty Hunter Differs From Boba Fett
There are other scattered references to the collapse of the Empire in the first three episodes, but oddly enough there’s really nothing other than those vague sentiments to establish where in time “The Mandalorian” takes place. So if you take your focus off the show during the wrong moments you could easily miss those comments.
I should note that the Empire is not completely gone at this point — after the war ended, the Empire still had some territory left, with the remaining leaders choosing to sit back and casually re-build and re-arm before starting another war decades later as the First Order. And we see a few Imperials still shuffling about on the show. But the Empire was still mostly gone, and certainly no longer the government in whatever part of the galaxy the Bounty Hunter’s Guild has set up shop.
It’s a bit interesting that “The Mandalorian” doesn’t really play up the greater situation in the “Star Wars” galaxy at all given another detail that we’ve gotten during the run-up to the Disney Plus launch: that “The Mandalorian” will provide some info about how the Empire made the transition into the First Order. Clearly, the situation that this bounty hunter finds himself in at the end of the episode will lead us into some big-picture worldbuilding. But we’ll see how long it takes to get there.
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Disney+ Has More 'Star Wars' TV Shows in Development, Bob Iger Says
What Does That ‘Man in the High Castle’ Ending Mean?
(Spoilers ahead for, you know, the ending of “The Man in the High Castle.” Like the headline says.)
Fans of the “Man in the High Castle” novel no doubt expected for the Amazon series of the same name to have a bit of an ambiguous ending, but I’m not sure anyone was expecting that scene to be the one to send the show off into the sunset.
So as we arrive at that final scene, things are looking up in the, ah, Prime Earth of this story. The Japanese have abandoned North America, and the Black Communist Rebellion is setting up a new, presumably much better government. The east coast has autonomy from Germany, and is now being run by a guy who clearly wants the Nazis gone. John Smith (Rufus Sewell), perpetrator of so many crimes against humanity, is finally dead and gone. These are all good things.
Also Read: Here's Everything New Coming to Amazon Prime Video in November
But after all that happened, there was still one last scene for “The Man in the High Castle.” The final scene takes us to the portal the Nazis built so they could travel to alternate universes. Something weird has been going on there all season, with the portal turning itself on a couple times and giving Juliana (Alexa Davalos) weird feelings that something is about to happen with it.
So in this scene, the American resistance has taken the facility where the portal is located from the Nazis, and we’ve got Juliana, Hawthorne (Stephen Root), Wyatt (Jason O’Mara) and a bunch of others hanging out in the portal room as it fires itself up. And once the portal stabilizes, out walks a whole bunch of people. These folks just stroll right through the room, not really acknowledging the people who were already present. And Hawthorne, the Man in the High Castle himself, walks through the crown and into the portal.
It was a very moving moment for me to watch, even though I honestly do not understand what it means. Juliani says these people are coming from “everywhere” but that’s obviously very vague. Was this some kind of metaphor, with the souls of those killed in the past two decades of atrocities around the world returning? Or was it really, literally happening?
Also Read: 'Jojo Rabbit' Film Review: Taika Waititi Insists That Nazis Can Be Funny
“The Man in the High Castle” doesn’t really provide anything in the way of setup for this turn of events, either way. It never established firm details about the travelers who had been bringing those alternate universe films to this version of Earth, and those films came from many more Earths than just the one the Nazis had been using the portal to travel to.
Was there some kind of parallel universe organization affecting events in this world the way the Nazis had been interfering in that other world they kept visiting? And they decided that now was the time to pay it a visit? Or maybe these were refugees who had fled this reality and were now returning?
Over at Entertainment Weekly, showrunner David Scarpa said the scene was intentionally ambiguous. “Part of the intention was to invite the audience to have their own interpretation of what they’re seeing on screen.” Though he does offer a tantalizing detail. “The portal is, essentially, open and it is going to remain open. In effect, what that means is two worlds have become one. There’s a doorway from one world into the next, and now people can move freely between them.”
Since the show is over now, that might be a detail I didn’t need confirmed, because it might keep me up at night as I try to figure out what that means. But since the show is over now, we’re probably never going to get a more real or informative answer than that. But even though I don’t get it, I like the scene a lot anyway. I like the vibe of it.
It feels like victory.
Related stories from TheWrap:
How 'Man in the High Castle' Grapples With Its Frightening Real-World Relevance In Season 3
Does ‘Frozen 2’ Have a Post-Credits Scene?
Considering that the first “Frozen” was merely the biggest animated movie at the box office ever, Disney really took its sweet time putting together “Frozen 2.” Six years! But hey, maybe that was the optimal amount of time for building anticipation. Either way, the wait is over and you can now watch “Frozen 2” as many times as you want.
Anna, Elsa, Olaf, Kristoff and Sven are all back in “Frozen 2” for a new adventure, but the new film has a lot to live up to. The original “Frozen” was groundbreaking for how it reinvented the Disney princess template for the 21st Century, giving its two heroines a sense of real agency and establishing a strong relationship between two women that’s rarely seen on screen. And of course, the track “Let It Go” was so huge it became an instant Disney classic. Idina Menzel’s performance of the sweeping, Broadway-esque ballad even won the Oscar for Best Original Song.
Whether “Frozen 2” can match the original with its songs, animation or humor for a new film is up for debate, and the film is already a box office smash with young audiences all the same. The question is whether your children will patiently be up for just a little bit more “Frozen” after the credits start to roll. So, should you stick around?
Also Read: 'Frozen II' Film Review: Elsa Belts Again in Entertaining, Unnecessary Sequel
Yes, “Frozen 2” does have a brief post-credits scene at the end of the film. During the credits however, you’ll hear three alternate takes on some of the film’s original songs. First, we;ve got Panic! at the Disco performing one of Elsa’s big numbers, “Into the Unknown.” Next, Kacey Musgraves sings an acoustic version of “All Is Found,” which is initially heard at the very start of the film as performed by Evan Rachel Wood as a lullaby to the young Anna and Elsa. Finally, Weezer give their take on “Lost in the Woods,” the big, comedic rock ballad that Kristoff sings midway through the movie.
But on to that post-credits scene! And keep in mind, there are SPOILERS here for “Frozen 2” if you have yet to see the film. Olaf (Josh Gad) has a great gag during the movie where he rattles off a quick recap of how they got here. He pantomimes and acts out all the most famous moments from the first “Frozen,” all building up to the explanation of why Anna and Elsa are now exploring a hidden, enchanted forest outside of Arendelle.
During the post-credits scene however, he recaps the remaining events of the movie you just watched. He says he was right all along about his theory that “water has memory,” a recurring theme of the film, and he assures the audience that yes, he’s still alive. It’s a tragically sad moment when Olaf briefly melts away in one scene after Elsa becomes trapped in ice, but she uses her magic to revive him for a happy ending. “I live, and so do you,” Olaf says to the camera. The camera then cuts to a captive audience of the massive snow monster from the first film and hundreds of other baby snowmen all listening intently to Olaf’s story.
Also Read: 'Frozen II' on Track for $100 Million-Plus Opening, Biggest for Animated Film Outside of Summer
“Frozen 2” is directed by Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee, and Kirsten Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff, Josh Gad all returned to the voice cast. The film’s newcomers are Evan Rachel Wood, Sterling K. Brown, Jason Segel, Martha Plimpton, Ciarán Hinds, Rachel Matthews and Alfred Molina. Critics have been somewhat more muted on the new “Frozen,” as the film has a 77 percent fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes, compared to the original’s 90 percent.
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Brothers Osborne Thanksgiving Day Halftime Performance Marred by Sound Issues
Guitars and vocals were replaced with the sound of fans booing on Thursday as the Brothers Osborne’s halftime performance at the Chicago Bears-Detroit Lions game was delayed for several minutes by audio issues.
The first two attempts by the country music duo to start their performance were derailed by sound problems. Fox announcer Joe Buck, noting the boos from the eager fans, said: “The crowd [is] almost willing this to happen.”
Seconds into the country duo’s performance at Ford Field in Detroit, the sound cut out and the crowd let out an audible gasp. You can check out the mini-fiasco below:
When the Detroit Lions forget to pay their electric bill. pic.twitter.com/WV0yhJqAPa
— Dirty Sports (@TheDirtySports) November 28, 2019
“We’ll get it figured out,” one of the brothers said into the microphone, as fans continued to wait in silence on the turf at Ford Field.
Also Read: Cris Carter Out at Fox Sports
Buck asked his partner Troy Aikman if they had anything else they wanted to discuss from the first half, which ended with the Lions leading 17-10, and they both decided there wasn’t much to say to break up the confusion.
It’s unclear what caused the audio glitch. The NFL did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
Finally, after several awkward minutes, the performance started up again. “Third time’s the charm,” Buck said.
Also Read: Fox Sportscaster Erin Andrews on How to Succeed in a Male-Dominated Field: 'Stop Caring'
The moment, of course, was instantly mocked on Twitter — with even the local paper getting in on the jokes:
They just Detroit-Sports’d this halftime show
— Detroit Free Press (@freep) November 28, 2019
Appropriate to this entire halftime disaster, Brothers Osborne is killing it with "It Ain't My Fault."
— Chris Emma (@CEmma670) November 28, 2019
We went from the Genesis halftime show to the Exodus halftime show
— Danny Heifetz (@Danny_Heifetz) November 28, 2019
If this Brothers Osborne snafu signals the end of expensive music halftime concerts in the NFL I am 100% cool with that.
Sincerely,
A Former Marching Band Nerd
— Evan Schreiber (@SchreiberEvan) November 28, 2019
I mean I understood why Beyonce killed the power in the Superbowl but THE BROTHERS OSBORNE???
— Randy Havens (@MrRandyHavens) November 28, 2019
Detroit: They can't even do a halftime show properly.
It's probably for the best.
— Captain Schlasser: Leader of Men (@UrinatingTree) November 28, 2019
I am 100 percent certain that either of those guys from The Brothers Osborne would be a better option at QB for the #Bears in the second half.
— Eric Anderson (@Eric42Anderson) November 28, 2019
The current state of Detroit sports. pic.twitter.com/4KWmzJEMNx
— Ryan Field (@RyanFieldABC) November 28, 2019
"We'll get it figured out." — 2019 Detroit Lions rallying cry
— John Niyo (@JohnNiyo) November 28, 2019
If Detroit wins, they will move to 38-40-2 on Thanksgiving day.
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Hulu Thanksgiving Sale Offers Ad-Supported Plan for $2 Per Month
Hulu is once again looking to pull in a grip of new subscribers over Thanksgiving, with the streaming service offering its ad-supported plan for $1.99 per month.
The deal, which starts at noon PST on Thursday, runs through the end of Cyber Monday. New subscribers who sign up will receive the $1.99 per month price for the following year. Hulu’s ad-supported plan will revert to its customary $5.99 monthly fee thereafter.
Subscribers will get access to Hulu originals like Emmy-winner”The Handmaid’s Tale,” as well as network hits like “Bob’s Burgers,” “This Is Us,” and “The Masked Singer.” Classic shows like “The OC” and a lengthy list of movies also come with the plan.
Also Read: Hulu Partners With Vice on New Investigative Docuseries
Hulu tried a similar move last year, offering its ad-supported plan for an even more aggressively-priced 99 cents per month. The company, now majority-owned by Disney, shared earlier this year it had hit 28 million subscribers across all of its plans, including its live TV service. The update came after Hulu reported its subscriber base increased by nearly 50% in 2018. Overall, Hulu still trails Netflix — the dominant streaming service in the U.S. and abroad — and its more than 60 million domestic customers.
Hulu’s offer comes after it announced it would soon raise the price of its live TV service from $44.99 to $54.99 per month — marking the second time this year the company raised its rates.
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Ricky Gervais Makes a Splash in First Golden Globes Promo (Video)
British comedian Ricky Gervais will be returning to host the Golden Globe Awards in January, and judging by the first promo clip for the event, he’s ready to make a splash.
In the spot, the host straightens his bow tie, and a person offcamera tells him to pour himself a drink.
“Happy holidays, America. I’m Ricky Gervais, and I’m hosting the Golden Globe Awards,” Gervais says before grabbing a bottle of champagne and spraying the set, causing some minor chaos. As the camera cuts away a voiceover warns, “as usual, we have no idea what he’s going to do.”
Also Read: 'Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?' Trailer: Ricky Gervais and Wanda Sykes Join the Meddling Kids (Video)
Gervais will return to host the 77th Annual Golden Globe Awards for a record fifth time.
“Once again, they’ve made me an offer I can’t refuse. But this is the very last time I’m doing this, which could make for a fun evening,” he said in a statement at the time of the announcement.
The Golden Globes reward film and TV professionals in 25 categories — 14 in film and 11 in television — voted by the roughly 90 members of the HFPA. Tom Hanks is slated to receive the Globes’ Cecil B. DeMille Award, while Ellen DeGeneres will be honored with the TV Lifetime Achievement Award.
The three-hour telecast will air live on NBC on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2020, at 8 p.m. ET from the Beverly Hilton.
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Ricky Gervais to Host 2020 Golden Globe Awards for Record 5th Time
How to Watch and Livestream the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
Want to avoid your family? Still too early for pigskin (or turkey meat, for that matter)? The 93rd Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade can provide a serviceable distraction during the Thursday morning hours.
But how does one actually watch this thing? Readers, you came to the right place. For starters, those looking for Snoopy and Santa can catch them the traditional way on NBC, which will carry the parade broadcast from 9 a.m. to noon local time in all time zones.
Additionally, for the fourth year in a row, Macy’s, NBCUniversal and Verizon are combining forces for a 360-degree livestream on Verizon’s YouTube page. The second-screen experience will stream from 8:30 a.m. ET to noon ET across multiple platforms, also including Verizon Media, XBox, and NBC.com.
As TheWrap exclusively reported last week, this Thanksgiving, that Verizon-powered option is going 5G and will incorporate hologram and augmented-reality features. Read all about that experiment here, and head to Bryant Park in person if you really want a unique perspective (that still involves screens).
We imagine the view from Harold Square’s bleachers isn’t so bad either, if you prefer to actually experience life.
Also Read: Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on NBC to Go 5G (Exclusive)
“Today” show anchors Savannah Guthrie, Hoda Kotb and Al Roker will host the festivities for NBC.
Stars scheduled to appear include Celine Dion, Natasha Bedingfield, Black Eyed Peas, Chicago, Ciara, Josh Dela Cruz, Celine Dion, Jimmy Fallon and The Roots, Debbie Gibson, former NASA astronauts Kay Hire and Janet Kavandi, Chris Janson, Idina Menzel, Lea Michele, Miss America 2019 Nia Franklin, NHL legends Dominic Moore and Eddie Olczyk, the cast and Muppets of “Sesame Street,” NCT 127, Ozuna, Billy Porter, Kelly Rowland, That Girl Lay Lay, TLC, Tenille Townes and Chris Young.
The casts of Broadway shows “Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations,” “Beetlejuice,” “Hadestown” and “Tina – The Tina Turner Musical” will perform in Herald Square, as will parade staple the Radio City Rockettes.
This year, expect 16 giant character balloons, 40 novelty balloons, 26 floats, 1,200 cheerleaders and dancers, more than 1,000 clowns, and 11 marching bands.
The 2019 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade broadcast is produced by Brad Lachman Productions. Brad Lachman serves as executive producer, Bill Bracken will co-executive produce, Ron de Moraes is directing.
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November 27, 2019
10 All-Time Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Fails
Turkey Day is almost here, which means that all across America, La-Z-Boys will soon be dragged in front of TVs and channels will be changed to NBC, because the annual viewing of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is upon us. One way to get hyped for this year’s festivities is to remember some of the most epic fails of years past. From the infamous Uncle Sam and Spider-Man incident of 2012 to the numerous bystanders injured when balloons collided with street lamps, here are 11 of the most unforgettable — and uncomfortable — moments in the parade’s history.
Cat in the Hat Balloon Hits Lamp Post, Injures Woman In 1997, the “Cat in the Hat” balloon hit and broke a lamp post. A rogue piece of the metal fixture flew and hit a woman in the head, fracturing her skull, the New York Post reported at the time. She spent a month in a coma, and later sued Macy’s for $395 million in damages.
Popeye Dumps Water on Crowd In 1957, Popeye the Sailor Man’s hat collected so much rainwater that it filled up and, well, it had to go somewhere… so it dumped onto unsuspecting parade-goers beneath it.
The Uncle Sam and Spider-Man Incident of 2012 Who could forget this hilariously awkward and NSFC mishap from 2012? The night before the parade — that’s when they inflate the balloons and get them ready for the next day’s festivities — these two balloon pals shimmied together somehow, and Spider-Man’s face accidentally got up close and personal with Uncle Sam’s butt. It wasn’t what it looked like — but it did look like that.
Kermit the Frog Deflates
This one gives new meaning to the phrase “It’s not easy being green.” Hovering six stories high and 24-feet wide at his best, in 1985, the Kermit balloon suffered a rip in his belly region and began to deflate, causing him to sink down dangerously to the ground — and the people holding onto his strings.
Superman’s Arm Rips Off
Also in 1985, the Superman balloon suffered a loss of limb. One of the balloon’s arms ripped off, causing the remainder of the severed appendage to dangle loosely, its frayed edges blowing in the wind.
Sonic the Hedgehog Injures Off Duty Cop
According to the New York Times, in 1993, the Sonic the Hedgehog balloon hit a lamp post at West 58th St. and Broadway. A piece of the lamp post fell and landed on off-duty Suffolk County police captain, Joseph D. Kistinger, breaking his shoulder.
Rex the Dinosaur Pops
In 1993, Rex the Dinosaur’s nose caught a traffic light and ripped right open. But in case you were wondering, no, this is not Rex the Dinosaur from “Toy Story” — he didn’t make his Macy’s parade debut for another two years. This Rex, who is reddish-orange color rather than green, is from the 1993 animated film “We’re Back! A Dinosaur’s Story.”
Barney’s Side Rips
Yet another dinosaur in trouble. This time, it was in 1994, when Barney suffered a critical hit from a lamp post, tearing his side and deflating him. Another one bites the dust.
M&M Balloon Collides With Street Light, Injures Two Sisters
In 2005, yet another collision occurred, this time with a street light and an M&M balloon. Parts of the street light broke and fell, injuring two sisters, according to the New York Times.
SpongeBob Gets Punctured
In 2006, lamp posts once again had the last laugh when one came face-to-face with Nickelodeon’s beloved under-sea dweller, SpongeBob. Though he is porous in theory, his balloon-form is sadly not immune to being punctured.
10 Greatest Thanksgiving Football Moments, From Mark Sanchez’s Butt Fumble to Peyton Manning’s Huge Day (Photos)
Turkey, family and football. It’s a Thanksgiving trio that’s been going strong for nearly a century now. Your first thought when it comes to Thanksgiving football might be simply that the Detroit Lions play — and lose — every year, during an otherwise “meh” day of games. But your memory would be deceiving you. First off, the Lions aren’t that bad on Thanksgiving, with an all-time holiday record of 37-40-2. Not too shabby. And there have been a fair amount of noteworthy performances, controversies and bloopers on Thanksgiving — enough to even make a list of 10 memorable football moments without having to resort to including that “Friends” episode where Monica and Ross wrestle over the ball for hours.
Check out our 10 memorable moments below:
Butt Fumble 2012
Butt fumble. How could we not start here? Two simple words joining together to perfectly and succinctly summarize what is perhaps the most infamous NFL blooper ever. If you’ve seen it once, you can’t forget it: Jets QB Mark Sanchez dropping back, then immediately darting forward and running directly into the rump of beefy teammate Brandon Allen. Sanchez dropped the ball to the ground and it was promptly run back for a touchdown by the Patriots — putting them up 21-0 on their way to a Thanksgiving 2012 blowout. It was a “Three Stooges” skit come to life, and for non-Jets fans is the first thing fans remember about Sanchez, not his back-to-back trips to the AFC title game.
Mike Tomlin 2013
Chicanery or an honest mistake? Depends on if you’re talking to a Ravens or Steelers fan about their 2013 matchup. Ravens return man Jacoby Jones looked like he was on his way to a kickoff return touchdown until Steelers coach Mike Tomlin entered the picture. Tomlin, with his back to Jones and his foot straddling the field, helped slow down Jones just enough to help Cortez Allen tackle him. The “defense” from Tomlin saved a touchdown, as the Ravens were only able to convert a field goal on the drive. Baltimore went on to narrowly win the game 22-20, anyway. Afterwards, Tomlin said he’d simply “lost my placement” while watching the play on the Jumbotron. He was later fined $100,000 by the NFL for his close proximity to the the field.
Randy Moss 1998
Revenge was on the menu for Randy Moss in 1998. Months after being passed over by the Cowboys in the draft, Moss torched Dallas for 163 yards and three scores as the Vikings waltzed to a 46-36 victory. He was efficient, too, needing only 3 catches to rack up his three touchdowns.
Leon Lett 1993
Poor Leon Lett probably had a rough Thanksgiving dinner in 1993. The Cowboys blocked what seemed like a game-winning field goal attempt from the Dolphins with less than 30 seconds to play… only to have Lett come sliding in and bump the ball as it rolled around on the ground, making it a live ball once again. The ball continued rolling around before the Dolphins recovered it and had another opportunity to kick a game-winning field goal. Miami didn’t miss it’s second try and ended up winning 16-14. It was a monumental blunder by Lett, but he still ended up with a Super Bowl ring at the end of the season.
Bob Griese 1977
Dolphins QB Bob Griese torched the St. Louis Cardinals in 1977, tossing 6 touchdown passes in only three quarters of play, as Miami went on to rack up a Thanksgiving record 55 points in their victory.
Peyton Manning 2004
27 years later, Peyton Manning did his best Griese impression: The NFL legend threw 6 touchdown passes — also in only 3 quarters of play — as the Colts drubbed the Lions 41-9 on Thanksgiving day 2004.
Jerome Bettis 1998
Talk about a wild finish. With the Steelers and Lions knotted at 16, referee Phil Luckett goes to flip the coin at the beginning of overtime; Steelers running back Jerome Bettis starts to say “heads” but changes his mind to “tails,” all while the coin is flipping in the air. Luckett awards the ball to the Lions, though, after the coin comes up tails. Bettis looks around, baffled, with his arms upturned. Minutes later, the Lions won the game 19-16 on a field goal kick from Jason Hanson. Players are now required to choose heads or tails before the coin is flipped.
Richard Sherman 2014
Richard Sherman and the 49ers are flying high in 2019, but five years ago he was on the other side of the Seattle-San Francisco rivalry. Sherman’s two interceptions helped the Seahawks take down the Niners 19-3. Afterwards, while munching on a turkey leg, Sherman said the San Francisco fans were throwing some “pretty vulgar” barbs around — helping spur his big performance. “Sometimes you should let sleeping dogs lie,” Sherman said, “so you get this.”
John Madden Turducken
The Turducken. It’s synonymous with the NFL and Thanksgiving, made famous by legendary coach and broadcaster John Madden. “This thing here is a de-boned duck, stuffed in a de-boned chicken, stuffed in a de-boned turkey, with stuffing,” Madden explained to longtime partner Pat Summerall in 1997, “Now you’re talking. And that has 8 legs.”
O.J. Simpson 1976
Before becoming a pariah two decades later — and someone many believe was wrongfully found not guilty on murder charges — O.J. Simpson was a damn good football player. “The Juice” ran for a Thanksgiving-record 273 yards in 1976. His two touchdowns were the only scores for the Bills on the day, though, as they lost to the Lions 27-14 on the road.
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How ‘Knives Out’ Turned Three Locations Into a Single Mansion of Murder
While the production design of every movie ever made faces numerous complications, those complications become even more, well, complex when it comes to a murder mystery like “Knives Out.” Production designer David Crank, for instance, had to turn three shooting locations into a single mansion that serves as the film’s bloody crime scene.
When Crank and his team got started, director Rian Johnson and his location team had already found a pair of mansions that would serve as the domain of Harlan Thrombey, the multi-millionaire mystery novelist portrayed by Christopher Plummer, whose bloody demise sets the events of “Knives Out” into motion.
The exterior of the house was a gothic revival mansion built in 1890 and located just outside of Boston, but the interior scenes were filmed at the Ames Mansion, a 20-room historic site located at Massachusetts’ Borderland State Park. The Ames Mansion, previously seen in Martin Scorsese’s 2010 thriller “Shutter Island,” was used in “Knives Out” to shoot the tense fights Harlan would have with his money-grubbing family, and the intense questioning that private eye Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) would put that same family through after Harlan’s death.
Also Read: 'Knives Out' Director Rian Johnson on Which of His Stars Was Hardest to Cast
“There wasn’t a specific kind of architecture that Rian was looking for,” Crank told TheWrap. “The general rule was that both the inside and outside of the house needed to look like the sort of house that Harlan would describe in one of his mysteries. The moment we walked into the mansion we knew right away that it had the personality we needed.”
But neither the Ames Mansion nor the gothic revival could provide the floor plan needed for the most important room in Johnson’s script: Harlan’s office. The script for “Knives Out” required several characters to sneak in and out of the house and up to Harlan’s inner sanctum, a cozy red study with a low, curved ceiling that allows for intimate conversations between Harlan and his nurse Marta, played by Ana De Armas.
To accommodate the script, Crank built the office and connecting hallway on a soundstage, working with Johnson to line up the characters’ movements in the script with the actual layout of the houses and sets used for shooting. In doing so, they were able to help the editors create a seamless transition as the Thrombeys scurry through the halls of their patriarch’s domain.
“We had about three weeks to get the office ready for shooting, so we had to work very fast,” he said. “The funny thing is that the way the office hallway and the upper floor we built on set was designed, it wouldn’t have fit in the actual house you see in the film. But it was made for these scenes where people are sneaking around trying to not get seen and I’m really proud of how it ended up looking in the final cut.”
Another important task for Crank was to fill the Ames Mansion with the sorts of novels and knick-knacks befitting Harlan’s personality. But even though one of the cops in the film quips that Harlan “lives in a Clue board,” the famed board game or the Tim Curry film that it inspired weren’t the main inspiration for the set design.
Instead, the chief influence was “Sleuth,” a 1972 Oscar-nominated mystery film starring Laurence Olivier and Michael Caine that also served as Johnson’s main inspiration for “Knives Out” as a whole. Like “Knives Out,” the film takes place at the luxurious home of a famed crime novelist who is a collector of automata, or moving dolls. In honor of the film “Knives Out” features dozens of automata and dollhouses strung around the mansion.
“There’s a large dollhouse that you can see over Daniel Craig’s shoulder that I thought was a really fun addition,” Crank said. “The automata were Rian’s nod to ‘Sleuth,’ particularly a sailor figure by the door, but they also really fit for the character of the mansion because they were so mysterious and creepy. We found a collector that provided them for us and tried to fit them into rooms where they would feel like they belong there.”
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But the biggest prop in the house is the ring of knives in the Thrombeys’ living room, all set in front of a chair and positioned so that the knives appear to be pointing right at the head of whomever is sitting in the chair. When asked if the Iron Throne from “Game of Thrones” was an inspiration, Crank laughed.
“It wasn’t, but I can see why people might make that connection,” he said. “It actually wasn’t originally meant to be that way. It was initially a rectangular structure and the knives were pointed out. Eventually, after various versions, we got down to the final version you see in the film. Rian wasn’t entirely sure what he wanted with the knives, but he knew what he didn’t want, and once we got to that ring of blades pointing in, it finally clicked.”
You can check out David Crank’s work in “Knives Out” now in theaters. To see more of his production design, see his depiction of Civil War-era Washington in Steven Spielberg’s “Lincoln” and his design of the residence of amoral oil magnate Daniel Plainview in Paul Thomas Anderson’s “There Will Be Blood.” Crank has also just finished shooting two 2020 films starring Tom Hanks: the WWII film “Greyhound” and the Paul Greengrass western “News of the World.”
Related stories from TheWrap:
'Knives Out' Director Rian Johnson on Which of His Stars Was Hardest to Cast
'Knives Out' Film Review: The Stars Are the Suspects in Serviceable Whodunnit
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