Adam Decker's The Good Wife Blog: January 2018

You know, if things stay the same in terms of release dates, I could wind up watching more than one movie on one single day if it comes out in a theater that I’d want to go to. The theater that I typically go to is pretty close, but they only show six movies at a time and they probably only show the more likely to be watched movies which would normally mean that things in this blog would not be shown there. I have no idea what future jobs I could have and am looking for a third one at the moment. I might not even stop there.

Just know that since this is the first post of the year, I will be changing things as needed with these updates that I have here. Also, something that I wonder is if CBS will release a version of the pilot of The Good Fight where Hilary Clinton had won. There is a version so this should be more incentive to release the show to DVD. Maybe I should tweet CBS about it. They’d get my money that way, but not by “all access.”

Spin-off information- My review of the spin-off will follow later in this post. It will probably stay for as long as the show is still on. If the show leaves the air, then I’ll probably cut it. I do plan on creating a new blog for it in the future. I guess that I will just have to keep you updated on when it might be released in the future.

Julianna Margulies: It appears that the main actress has a movie project in the works. It is called The Upside. She does have a new TV show called Dietland that will be on AMC if it is made. Other things will be reported as they come.

The Upside: The plot that imdb has for this sounds very strange. Apparently a former criminal and a wealthy person in a wheelchair have some sort of comedic relationship. It doesn’t have a trailer yet, but it does have a release date of March 9, 2018. I guess we’ll see what, if anything, comes from it. It is weird that the year with this is mentioned as 2017 when the release date is different. It has a rating on imdb implying that it is released in some format. The release date remains the same though. No idea what is going on, but this will remain in the updates for now. It appears that it might have come out internationally so I will wait until I can see it here in the US and it will remain in these updates for now. I hope that I can review it if I like it.

Dietland: This is an AMC show in development about weight loss and fashion, or society’s obsession with them, at least. It has a release year of 2018. It sounds dumb, but at least I won’t have to watch it. I don’t know if she will have a long term role in it or not, but I will keep this here in the meantime until I know more.

Josh Charles: He has at least two projects in the works, according to imdb. It looks like he will appear in Amateur, a sports movie. I also learned that he is joining the cast of Law & Order: True Crime. He’s also in something new called DeLorean.

Amateur: This does not have a trailer or release date yet. This one is still listed as filming, so hopefully it can be released and finished sometime. This is a basketball drama and it appears to be a coming of age drama as well. Can a young player fit in with a new team? It doesn’t have a release date just yet. It might be out now, but I don’t know for sure and will keep this in updates for the moment.

Law & Order: True Crime: I was hoping that I could avoid watching this and don’t yet know if I will be able to see this or not. This will be about an actual murder case. This is on hiatus right now. Josh plays a psychiatrist who tries to help understand the brothers. A review now follows.

Law & Order: True Crime: Status- Currently on hiatus. Why I’ve seen it- I saw this since an alumni from The Good Wife is in this. Noteworthiness- This is inspired by a true case and part of the Law and Order franchise. Description- It is about a real crime committed by two abused brothers against their abusive parents. Other seasons will probably have different crimes, should they make other seasons. Notable People- Josh Charles, former star of The Good Wife, is in this show as well. Pros- It addresses serious concepts. Cons- It seems to do too much at once by trying to cover all the angles. Also, the plot is very grim, grimmer than SVU even. Note to Parents- Don’t let kids watch this. Recommendation- I’d put this at a toss-up. My Viewing Habits- I’ve seen it once online and could watch more if NBC came in where I lived or I cared enough about it. Prediction- I don’t think that it will last much longer. It depends on if the network wants to keep it around or if they see it as only a limited thing. Reception: mixed. Grade: C-.

DeLorean: I can find literally nothing about this right now. Based on reading the cast information, this is not about the car made famous by Back to the Future, but a person because for some horrible reason, we must refer to people by their last names instead of their first names (don’t ever call me Decker if you want me to respond to you). It must be so new a project that it has no release date yet or even a plot mentioned.

Graham Phillips: All this time, you kept hearing me, err, reading me talk about XOXO which has been in these updates the whole time I’ve been doing them. Well, now I can finally remove that from the update and talk about the new movie he will be in called Blockers. We’ll see what happens regarding that. He’ll also have a minor role on Riverdale this upcoming season. He is also going to appear in another movie called The Bygone.

Blockers: This movie has a current release date of April 6, 2018. I’m going to be honest: the plot sounds terrible. It is about fathers trying to stop their daughters from having sex on prom night. People complain that Christian films get made yet there are far too many films based on teen sexuality. I guess we’ll see what ends up happening here. One can hope that the girls don’t have sex.

The Bygone: This has a release year of 2018. It doesn’t have a trailer yet. It looks like a missing person drama of some sort and could be very interesting. Hopefully it will get made and come out in a format that I could easily watch sooner rather than later.

Archie Panjabi: This actress did a lot after leaving the show. Right now, she is in the show Blindspot. I hope that she is still with Blindspot, although I’m not sure at the moment. I can’t find anything else that she might be doing at the moment. I should have more soon, especially if I can see this show, but I lost NBC in May and it hasn’t come back. Also, I’m not sure it is worth watching it online nor if the website would work. I should have updates soon as to whether or not she is still in this. For now, the review will remain until at least she does something else. She appeared in an episode of Bull recently. I also see her mentioned in some show called Next of Kin, but I know nothing about it. She will return for a guest spot this season of Blindspot. I hope that she isn’t limited to one-off roles in shows, but at least I can hope they are shows I already like such as Bull. I hope I can see this episode, but I don’t know if I can or not.

Link with more info: http://tvline.com/2017/11/15/blindspot-spoilers-archie-panjabi-returns-nas-season-3/

Blindspot: This show is on NBC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Archie plays a character who seems to suddenly be helping with the team. A review will follow. Her character is the leader of the team at the moment, although I’m not sure I fully understand how that happened. I don’t know if she is still with the show this new season, but the review will remain as long as the show is still on.

Review: Blindspot: Status- Currently on NBC at 8/7 Central on Fridays. Why I’ve seen it- I was interested in the idea of it. Description- For mysterious reasons, a woman has amnesia and tattoos all over her body and there are crimes solved based off of this. Notable People- Archie Panjabi, who was on The Good Wife, is a character on the show. Pros- The show is intriguing and interesting. Cons- The show may seem a bit scatterbrained and it seems like they are trying to do a female version of Jason Bourne. The show can seem similar to other types of dramas in a way. It can also be more violent than it needs to be. Note to Parents- I’d say that this is something that teenagers can watch, but not any younger than that. I think that all the episodes I’ve seen thus far were TV14. Recommendation- I’d say that this is worth watching. Prediction- I’m not sure that I have a high hope for the show at the moment. I could be proven wrong, but Fridays aren’t a good time for a show to be at. Reception: positive. Grade: B+.

Christine Baranski: After rejecting various pilots and other projects in the hopes of getting a spin-off from the Good Wife, she got what was wanted and will be on a Good Wife spin-off. It will only be available on CBS All Access (and hopefully DVDs in the future). The spin-off is called The Good Fight. She is also working on something new called Bad Moms Christmas. Another thing that she’s working on is Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. I wonder if that was a play before.

The Good Fight: It will be put on www.cbs.com and be available to watch on CBS all access to those that want it. It is available now. Expect to see the same review over and over again for whichever people work on this from The Good Wife.

Review: Status- It is available online only at CBS all access. I’ll let you know if it is released on DVD. Why I’ve seen it- If there is something in this blog that I can review, I will. Description- Diane continues her adventures starting from scratch after losing her retirement money and starting at a new firm. Pros- The show is about the same level of quality that you would expect from The Good Wife. Cons- Apparently, there is going to be a lot of nudity in it. Like the original, this show is a bit too confusing. Note to Parents- Your kids would have to pay to watch this online so if they are seeing it, then you hopefully were the ones who let that happen, although I’d lean towards not letting really young people watch this. Recommendation- Since this is only available online for money, I would actually steer clear of this unless you really like the show. I like it, but not enough to shell out too much money for it. Prediction- This could last a while if people keep using the subscription service to watch it. It already has a second season renewal. Reception: critically acclaimed. Grade: B.

Bad Moms Christmas: The plot of this movie has three women struggle with their respective mother’s visiting for Christmas. It sounds like it would be part of the more stupid style comedies, so we’ll see if that’s what it is like or not. It could be good or it might not be; I’ll have to see it to know for sure. This has a DVD release date of February 6, 2018. That’s an odd time to release a Christmas movie on DVD, but I guess that they don’t want to wait until the next Christmas season like they used to and still do sometimes but not often.

Review: Movie Name- A Bad Moms Christmas. Genre- Raunchy R rated comedy. Rating- R. See more in note to parents. Noteworthiness- This is the second installment of the Bad Moms franchise and there could be more. Description- A group of three mothers have to deal with the stress of the holidays and their own mothers visiting. The Good Wife Alumni in it- Christine Baranski plays the hardnosed mother of the protagonist. Pros- It is pretty decent with a plot that actually works. The characters, despite flaws, are more likable than you might think. Cons- A lot of it can be predictable and not as interesting as one would like. Not as much happens as you would want it to and some of it is dumb. Note to Parents- There are a lot of sex related moments and dialogue, but no nudity. There’s a lot of swearing, some by kids. Recommendation- I think that this is good enough to watch again in the future. It is your choice if you want to watch it as it is more on the dumber side of things. IMDB Ranking: 5.7. My Grade: B.

Catch up on the original Bad Moms by watching this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE2vmIF_Ou8

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again: This is a sequel to the film Mamma Mia which I have not yet seen, but I guess that I’ll have to now. It has a release date now of July 20, 2018. It doesn’t have a plot just yet, although I don’t know what there would be to it. She was in the original Mamma Mia, so that gives me more reason to watch it and make it a random post in the future.

Matt Czuchry: All of this time that you’ve seen me doing updates for him in this blog, you only saw me mentioning the reboot of Gilmore Girls. Well, I can finally take that off the update list and report on something new he is finally doing. It is a TV show called The Resident.

The Resident: This will be a show on FOX sometime at midseason. I’m not sure if there’s a better way of putting it than calling it a medical drama, which is what it would be. The main thing that would make it different is it focusing more on medicine than other shows have, according to one description that I read of it. That description may be wrong upon seeing the trailer, although I’d have to see the show to know for sure. Keep looking at the schedule for when it will start and hopefully it won’t catch me off guard. Also, I am suddenly thinking that this show could be like House, which I hope it isn’t. I finally learn of an official release date for it. It will air a preview (oddly timed premiere) on January 21, 2018 after the NFC championship. It will move into its new and official timeslot the next day (January 22, 2018) at 9/8 Central on Mondays. It must be filling in the winter gap of The Gifted’s hiatus, although I’m not sure if The Gifted has a full season or not.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGXn-ouQBiw

Thoughts on trailer: It seems like there is more to this than what was first known to me. A resident might have witnessed manslaughter, but we’ll see if that becomes more important to the series as it goes along or not. He wants to help people and it is cool that he is playing the main character. This looks interesting as usual, although I do hope that there is less sex here than in the average TV show. We’ll see what happens and I hope that it starts airing sooner rather than later.

Makenzie Vega: She has been working since The Good Wife ended. There’s a TV movie that she did in postproduction called Tomboy. As for any other new projects, I don’t see them just yet. There’s nothing new to report.

Tomboy: This made for TV movie is listed as in postproduction and has neither a release date nor trailer for it just yet. It doesn’t mention so much as a plot to it, so I guess I’ll have to figure that out for future updates. One can guess that a tomboy is central to the plot. It might be out now, but I’m not sure and it will remain in the updates for now.

Alan Cumming: Here’s an actor who’s known for starring in Broadway plays and productions. Perhaps you have seen him on the Tony Awards that you always watch because you can’t afford to see Broadway any other way. It looks like he has a lot of future projects in the works. The first one is called The Surrealist. Another movie that he’s doing in the future is Battle of the Sexes. A new one that I’ve noticed is called Show Dogs. That’s a lot of projects to look out for in the future. He is also doing something called Instinct. Another thing that he is in is called Bright in a Hollow Sky.

The Surrealist: This appears to be a scripted movie regarding an artist named Salvador Dali. This appears to be based off of a true story. It looks like he has issues with his wife over his obsession with the Mona Lisa. There is no release date or trailer for the movie, and it appears that it doesn’t so much as have a single year of release on it just yet. Upon doing more research, it might be in development hell since a source I found with information says that it was planned since at least the fifth upcoming season of The Good Wife. So hopefully something will eventually come of this potential project. I’m not even sure if it belongs in these updates.

Battle of the Sexes: This is based off of a true story regarding a tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobbie Riggs. It is out now on DVD. Before I get to the review, I will share a link of the role that Alan played in it.

Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Tinling

Review: Movie Name- Battle of the Sexes. Genre- It’s a sports drama & adapted by a true story. Rating- PG-13. Noteworthiness- This is based on a real life tennis match dubbed the battle of the sexes between a male gambling addict and female seeking equal pay, both of whom have won tennis champions before. Description- Upset over a lack of equal pay in women’s tennis tournaments, a woman gets others to start their own and soon has to deal with sexist men including one that wants to play her. The Good Wife Alumni in it- Alan Cumming plays real life person, Ted Tinling, who helped design tennis clothing and can best be described as the gay best friend of the main character. Pros- This shows women as strong people and doesn’t really paint anyone in that bad a light. Cons- It seems to take a long time to get to the actual point of the film as a lot of it seems to lead up to the main event. The gay parts were a bit confusing. It seems to make men, or at least, the men in the movie, seem sexist and otherwise paints them in a negative light. Note to Parents- There is a lot of sexual related discussion and multiple characters are LGBT, based on what I understand. Recommendation- I would watch this once, although I’m not sure that I’ll see it again. IMDB Ranking: 6.8. My Grade: B.

Show Dogs: This project is listed as post production at the moment. The plot relates to a police dog going undercover in a dog show competition to prevent some sort of disaster from happening. It might be live action, although I can’t tell for sure at the moment. It is more than likely an animated movie. After confusion about the release date, the time of release that I have now is April 6, 2018. That’s a US release date too. Hopefully the film moves forward as planned.

Instinct: This is a pilot that Alan is working on and it got picked up on CBS for the future. It will appear sometime at midseason, or possibly earlier in the event that something fails early on. I’ll keep you updated as to when it will air in the future. There might be a trailer that I haven’t seen yet. But there is a release date now for it. It will air on CBS at 8/7 Central on Sundays starting on March 11, 2018. I found a possible trailer for this on youtube but I will not share it just yet as I can’t find one on imbd. I will share it if I can’t find a more official one before this starts.

Bright in a Hollow Sky: This is a movie about people trying to find what they have lost by going on a road trip to do so. It doesn’t have a release date or trailer just yet. Hopefully it can do better than other projects where nothing seems to come from it.

Zach Grenier: If he’s doing anything, I don’t see it at the moment. Maybe we’ll see more from him in the future over time. Maybe not. He seems to be making guest star appearances a lot. I guess we’ll see what future he has in the business and until then, I’ll just keep him in updates here.

Matthew Goode: He has been doing a lot of projects since leaving The Good Wife. I might as well get to mentioning all of them. A project he’s doing is Magik. Another new project he’s in is called Four Kids and it. And he has yet another new project in the works called Birthmarked. He’s done so much and keeps doing more. Another thing he is appearing in is called The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, which we’ll find out more about later. It has been renamed, as you’ll see later. I’m not sure if he is still in Four Kids and it or Magik. I also don’t know if either of those last two projects are still moving forward. I see him in a mini-series called Ordeal by Innocence as well. Yet another potential project of his is called A Discovery of Witches, which would be a TV show. He had a minor role in The Crown, which is a show on Netflix.

Magik: This is an animated movie in the fantasy genre. It looks like it will be a Canadian film. There is no trailer for it yet. This is in postproduction according to imdb. The plot relates to a father visiting an alternate world to find his missing kids. While the US release date remains unknown, the UK release date is sometime in 2018. Imbd no longer mentions this as a project that Matthew is in. While it looks like the movie is still moving forward, I can’t tell if he is still in this.

Four Kids and it: This looks like another in a line of kids finding some magical creature film. I liked these as a kid, although I’m not sure that I’ll still have the same fondness as an adult. Hopefully I can. There is no trailer of specific release date for it yet. It changed from 2017 as the year to an unknown year. I do hope that they can come up with a better name for it than what they have now. While Wikipedia still lists this as a potential project for Matthew, imbd no longer does. I’ll keep it in these updates for now until I can see for sure what’s happening and if he’s in it. He may not be in this anymore.

Birthmarked: Here’s another Canadian film where I’m not sure if it is coming out sometime in America. It probably will, but we’ll see for sure later. The plot is mentioned as scientists trying to raise kids contrary to how their genes are set up. It was mentioned as coming out last year so I believe that it may be out already. I’ll keep it here in these updates for a bit until I can find out more about it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: This has a slightly changed release date now of April 19, 2018. That is a New Zealand release date so I’m not sure when or if it is coming out in the US. The plot relates to a writer writing about the experiences of the residents of Guernsey Island after World War II. Sounds pretty interesting, but haven’t we had enough World War II movies by now?

Ordeal by Innocence: This is about a person who was murdered on Christmas, making me think that’s around when it will air. It seems like it might be based on a true case. I don’t know yet which network this will be on. It appears that this project may not see the light of day after all. Read the link for more. Because of its uncertain future, I am putting it in development hell for now.

Link with more info: https://etcanada.com/news/270445/bbc-puts-ed-westwick-projects-on-hold-following-sexual-assault-accusations/

A Discovery of Witches: This has a release year of 2018. It will air on the Sky network which I think is British and not American meaning that I doubt that I’d be able to see it. The plot makes it seem like a supernatural show that has witches and vampires who have to work together even though they shouldn’t trust each other.

Cush Jumbo: In addition to doing The Good Fight, there’s at least one other project that she is doing, a short called Toads & Bluebottles. I would guess that since she’s doing a TV show, she’d be doing less projects, which is why I don’t see them mentioned.

Toads & Bluebottles: This is going to be a ten minute short. There’s no trailer or release date for this just yet. I’m not sure how to see most shorts. I think that most of them are hard to come by. It is listed as in preproduction. I was able to find the plot: it’s an animated story about imaginary people doing a life journey in just ten minutes. Will it be good? I have no idea. I’d have to see it, or at least a trailer for it, to know for sure. The year of release is now an unknown time.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan: It appears that he joined the cast of The Walking Dead. Thankfully, while I will not be able to watch it myself, I do know someone (multiple people, actually) who can review the show for me. I just hope that someone does something. You can post one yourself in the comments. It appears that he is also in a new project called Militia. A new thing that he’s doing is Rampage. I wonder what that would be like.

The Walking Dead: This is a popular gory cable zombie drama about humans trying to save themselves from what is known as The Walking Dead. I honestly haven’t seen it, so I don’t know if it is as good as everyone makes it seem. But I’ll leave that to guest reviewers of mine to decide for you. Hopefully I get them some point soon so they can help me. If not, I’ll just mention the show until I do get a guest review here at some point. This is on hiatus until February 25, 2018.

Link with more info: http://www.tv.com/news/the-walking-dead-season-8b-premiere-date-15129642130016704/

Militia: It doesn’t have a release date just yet. The plot relates to a shooting at a police funeral being investigated by a militia man. Hopefully a trailer or release date shows up with it in the future. Until then, we wait. Somehow, this is removed from imdb’s website so I don’t know if this is still moving forward or not. I might have to remove it from further updates, but don’t know if I will or not.

Rampage: This is a movie based off of a video game. Those don’t tend to be liked by people, although they can be good in the end. It is about apes and monsters destroying a city. It has a release date of April 20, 2018. It also has a trailer as of now that I’ll talk about.

Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coOKvrsmQiI

Thoughts on trailer: Okay, so maybe there is more to it than what the initial plot that I have might suggest. Genetic editing causes problems and that’s bad. There are animals that become threats that they don’t want to take out, although they might have to in the end. It looks like it could be good yet also a bit dumb at the same time. This is certainly more of a movie for its entertainment value than anything important.

Robert King: Here is where we switch to writing credits. He and his wife are helping with The Good Fight. I’m not sure what else they might be doing besides that. If there’s anything, I can’t find it. There is nothing else new to report. There have been hints of a new project that he and his wife might be doing, but I won’t include that until it has an imdb page.

Michelle King: Since she is married to the previous person, it would appear that she would probably have the same projects in the works as her husband. This section may be redundant since any similar projects that these people have would be the same thing and thus have the same information. She is working on The Good Fight.

Schedule

On CBS all access- The Good Fight (unknown season 2 return date)

Currently on TV- Blindspot (NBC at 8/7 Central on Fridays)

Currently on hiatus- Law & Order: True Crime, The Walking Dead

Possibly out somehow: Birthmarked, Tomboy, Amateur

On DVD- Battle of the Sexes

January 21, 2018- The Resident (premiere)

January 22, 2018- The Resident (regular timeslot, 9/8 Central on FOX)

February 6, 2018- Bad Mom’s Christmas (DVD release date)

February 25, 2018- The Walking Dead return date

March 9, 2018- The Upside (US release, could be out elsewhere)

March 11, 2018- Instinct (8/7 Central on CBS unless delayed)

April 6, 2018- Blockers, Show Dogs

April 19, 2018- The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (New Zealand release date, unknown US release date)

April 20, 2018- Rampage

July 20, 2018- Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Unknown 2018- Magik (UK release, unknown US release), The Bygone, A Discovery of Witches, Dietland

Unknown year/development hell- The Surrealist, Militia, Four Kids and It, Bright in a Hollow Sky, Ordeal by Innocence, DeLorean, Toads & Bluebottles

Adam Decker's The Good Wife Blog

Tuesday, January 9, 2018

Cast Update 1-9-2018