News

Last night's new episode of Dune: Prophecy, "Sisterhood Above All," spent most of its time in flashbacks, as we saw how sisters Valya and Tula Harkonnen came to join the Bene Gesserit sisterhood. We also got to know their extended family, including their uncle Evgeny Harkonnen, the family patriarch who becomes embittered and cold after the murder of his nephew Griffin, a promising young man on whom Evgeny was depending to pull House Harkonnen out of obscurity.

If you're a Game of Thrones fan, you might have thought you recognized Evgeny from somewhere. He's played by Mark Addy, the same actor who played the brash King Robert Baratheon in the first season of the show. King Robert may have died before the end of the first season, but fans remembered him for his brusque personality, and he was at the center of a million memes. Somewhere, Lancel is still looking for that breastplate stretcher.

Earlier this year, Disney+ aired a Star Wars TV show called The Acolyte, about a pair of long-sundered sisters who were powerful in the Force. The third episode used extensive flashbacks to show us what traumatic events befell the sisters as children, and it was, on the whole, a failure. We'd barely gotten a chance to acquaint ourselves with the main characters in the first two episodes, and now the show is halting any plot momentum to spend an hour in the past? Boo.

The third episode of Dune: Prophecy, "Sisterhood Above All," does much the same thing, but it works much better. Maybe because the episodes of Dune: Prophecy are much longer than episodes of The Acolyte, so we have more time to sit with the story. Maybe it's that Emily Watson and Olivia Williams did such a terrific job setting up their characters, Valya and Tula Harkonnen, in...

(This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon Season 2 up to Episode 6.)

As House of the Dragon builds to its Season 2 finale, Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) takes a big risk. After claiming a dragon at the end of Episode 6, Lord Corlys’s illegitimate son, Addam of Hull, is on a new career path. Daemon’s (Matt Smith) fraught dealings with the Riverlords lead to a high-stakes exchange. Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney) remains incapacitated, and Alicent (Olivia Cooke), stripped of her power, leaves King’s Landing to gain some perspective.

Clinton Liberty as Addam of Hull isn’t the only one who hops from a side story to the main plot. Episode 7 contextualizes some characters we’ve followed on and off throughout the season. For those of us who have eagerly awaited some more dragon action since the last few minutes of Episode 4, this episode is both satisfying and promising.

window._taboola = window.

This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7.

Tensions are high between the Greens and the Blacks as we approach the season 2 finale of House of the Dragon. Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) may have finally found a solution to her dragon problem. Daemon (Matt Smith) may have met his match with the young Ser Oscar Tully (Archie Barnes), but still finds himself with the Riverlands secured for Team Black. Alicent (Olivia Cooke) is at the end of her rope and takes some time in the woods for some R&r while King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) is pushed to recover as soon as he can.

As things continue to heat up, here’s everything you need to know before the epic House of the Dragon season 2 finale, including when and where to watch.

When Does House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 8 Come Out?

The season finale of House of the Dragon...

This article contains spoilers for House of the Dragon season 2 episode 7.

One of the great amusements in reading George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series comes from hearing 10, 11, and 12-year-old boys constantly assert that they are “almost a man grown.” Children indeed grow up quickly in the world of Game of Thrones … particularly the children of nobility.

Since the political system of inherited power in Westeros doesn’t allow for silly things like “voting” or “merit,” kids are often thrust into ruling roles they are not yet prepared for. Oftentimes this leads to disastrous results like with Game of Thrones‘ King Joffrey I Baratheon (Jack Gleeson), King Tommen I Baratheon (Dean-Charles Chapman), and Lord Robert/Robin Arryn (Lino Facioli). Even House of the Dragon‘s college-aged King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom-Glynn Carney) wasn’t doing too hot with the big job…and that was before he went up in flames.

Fans are searching for more information about Archie Barnes after his recent appearance as Oscar Tully in HBO's House of the Dragon Season 2.

Featuring a massive cast of characters, House of the Dragon Season 2 continues with the epic Dance of the Dragons civil war under the Targaryen family's reign over Westeros.

Included in that cast is 18-year-old Archie Barnes from London, United Kingdom, who has made quite an impact on the story with only two episodes under his belt.

Read full article on The Direct.

Blink and you’ll miss it, but George R.R. Martin made a subtle “cameo” in House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7 on Sunday, July 28. “Cameo” is a slight stretch, seeing as Martin himself was not physically in the scene, but his likeness was! The moment came at Harrenhal, when Daemon (Matt Smith) was being put to the test by the new Lord Tully, Oscar (Archie Barnes). Look closely at the weirwood heart tree in the courtyard and you’ll see a face carved in. That face is Martin’s, as revealed by the Season 2 Episode 7 installment of The House That Dragons Built, a behind-the-scenes series tagged onto the end of each episode (and also streaming separately) on Max. The idea to carve Martin’s face into the tree was series creator Ryan Condal, who shares a creator credit with Martin in addition to serving as showrunner and executive producer. “What...

Spoiler Alert !!!House of the Dragon Season 2 Episode 7 Spoilers Ahead!!

The latest episode of the HBO drama House of the Dragon introduced Archie Barnes as Oscar Tully, the grandson of House Tully’s head, who has caught everyone’s attention with his standout performance.

House of the Dragon | Credit: HBO

And the 18-year-old actor’s assertive portrayal of putting Matt Smith’s Daemon on the defensive is earning widespread praise from fans. Many have drawn comparisons to Bella Ramsey’s Lyanna Mormont from Game of Thrones, highlighting the striking similarities in their commanding presence.

The New Head of House Tully Makes a Strong Debut in House of the Dragon

House of the Dragon intensifies fans’ interest as Season 2 nears its finale. The latest episode continues to follow Rhaenyra Targaryen’s quest for dragonriders.

Following Addam of Hull with Seasmoke, Rhaenyra’s expanding dragonriding team added Ulf the White and his dragon Silverwing,...

Editor’s Note: The following post contains spoilers for “House of the Dragon” Season 2, up to and including Episode 7.

Any “Game of Thrones” fan knows the significance of a penultimate episode. From “Baelor” to “The Rains of Castamere” to “Hardhome” and more, the world of Westeros holds nothing back ahead of its finale, and “House of the Dragon” Season 2 joins that noble tradition.

Episode 7, written by David Hancock and directed by Loni Peristere, spends half of its runtime on exposition — and the other half auditioning dragon riders for Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) to win back the high ground in her family’s civil war. The hour contains some stunning score work from Ramin Djawadi and shots by cinematographer Vanja Cernjul, and an A story anchored by D’Arcy’s performance and Rhaenyra’s drive.

This episode felt very long, and it’s not because of the extended sowing sequence toward the end,...

Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on Wbgr-fm on January 28th, 2021, reviewing the new film “The Dig,” streaming on Netflix beginning January 29th, 2021, Plus a preview of the virtual and online Sundance Film Festival.

Rating: 4.0/5.0

In “The Dig,” Carey Mulligan portrays a British matriarch named Edith Pretty, who owns land that she believes contains ancient artifacts. She hires a local self-taught archeologist, Basil Brown (portrayed by Ralph Fiennes), who makes one of the greatest British treasure discovery in history – a burial ship from England’s pre-history – right as World War II was beginning.

“The Dig” is available to stream on Netflix beginning January 29th. Featuring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Ben Chaplin and Archie Barnes. Screenplay adapted by Moira Buffini, based on the novel by John Preston. Directed by Simon Stone. Rated “PG-13”

Click here for Patrick McDonald’s full on-air...

In “The Dig,” when various characters make their way out to the location that gives the film its name, the sky is rarely the same. As the story progresses from a one-man job that may or may not validate a widower’s curiosity to a more momentous historical find worth dramatizing over 80 years later, the clouds over Suffolk come and go, with all the corresponding shades overhead.

That simple avoidance of painting this whole tale with a single brush is one key way that director Simon Stone zags against some of the standard pitfalls of historical retellings. Based on the 2007 John Preston novel of the same name, “The Dig” also takes its cues from the details surrounding the 1939 Sutton Hoo discovery, which found centuries-old remnants of a past civilization buried beneath unassuming mounds on the property of Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan).

In “The Dig,” Edith enlists the help of local...

The excavations at Sutton Hoo, the site of Dark Age-era Anglo-Saxon burial mounds located in Suffolk, East Anglia, are considered England's greatest archeological find of the 20th century. Mere months before England entered the second World War, the story captivated British consciousness, as well as the attentions of budding archeologists the world over, and not only for the spectacular treasures discovered within the graves.

The people involved, from the wealthy widowed landowner whose estate the mounds were discovered on, to the self-taught archeologist who first broke ground, to the British Museum officials who wrested control of the dig away from the local scientists - all set against the backdrop of England on the eve of WWII - seem perfectly suited for cinema. Sure enough, Netflix has a new film, The Dig, based on the true story, starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, and Lily James. Get inspired for your viewing by...

The IFC Films documentary MLK/FBI from filmmaker Sam Pollard makes its debut in select theaters today as well as on demand. The release aligns with Martin Luther King Jr. Day on January 18 and it is super relevant to America’s wild inequity and racist treatment of the Black community — specifically Black activists.

MLK/FBI made its world premiere last year at the Toronto International Film Festival and went on to play at the New York Film Festival. The riveting docu exposes J. Edgar Hoover and the U.S. government’s surveillance and harassment of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who was labeled by the FBI as the “most dangerous” Black person in America.

Based on newly discovered and declassified files, as well as revelatory restored footage, the documentary explores the government’s history of targeting Black activists. Considering the insurrection that took place last...

Word of this week’s new movie release, all about archeology, may have quickened the pulses of many action film fans. Perhaps visions of a daring, rugged adventurer escaping insidious death traps, battling vicious rivals and their burly henchmen, rescuing damsels in dire distress, and snatching up mystical riches swirled in their fevered brains. Or perhaps of heroes facing peril from an ancient evil, released from the tomb to cause havoc and horror may come to mind for many. Well, maybe the word that this is based on an actual event puts the brakes on those expectations of Indiana Jones and monstrous mummies. Turns out it’s tedious and filthy work with dirt in your boots and embedded under fingernails. Ah, but despite that, along with power politics, there’s still the thrill of discovery. That may be the biggest “find” in the new “docudrama The Dig.

The story doesn...

Ravishing World War II period piece alert: The new film from director Simon Stone, “The Dig,” is coming to Netflix and some theaters next month. Oscar nominees Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes play archaeologists who dig up a surprising discovery that has ramifications for the past, and fate, of Britain.

Here’s Netflix’s official synopsis: “As WWII looms, a wealthy widow (Carey Mulligan) hires an amateur archaeologist (Ralph Fiennes) to excavate the burial mounds on her estate. When they make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain’s past resonate in the face of its uncertain future‎.”

Along with Mulligan and Fiennes, the cast includes Lily James (star of Netflix period piece “Rebecca”), Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes, and Monica Dolan. “The Dig” is based on a book by John Preston, published in 2007 and set in the context of the 1939 Anglo-Saxon ship burial excavation at Sutton Hoo,...

"Do you think there's something beneath?" Of course there is! Netflix has unveiled an official trailer for The Dig, an indie drama from actor / director Simon Stone. The film is set in the late 1930s just before World War II in England. A wealthy widow hires an amateur archaeologist to excavate the burial mounds on her estate, leading to the historic discovery of Sutton Hoo and an undisturbed ship burial. The site is important in understanding the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of East Anglia & the early Anglo-Saxon period, as it illuminates a period that lacks historical documentation. The Dig stars Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes, along with Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes, and Monica Dolan. This looks quite good, and all those Raf planes roaring overhead make it that much more gripping. View below. Here's the official trailer (+ poster) for Simon Stone's The Dig, direct from Netflix's...

'The Dig' trailer has been released and it's one of Netflix's first original movies of 2021.

The streaming giant dropped the first trailer for 'The Dig', the upcoming drama film starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes in the lead.

Based on a true story, the film is an adaptation of John Preston's novel of the same name and tells the story of the famous excavation in Sutton Hoo that led to the greatest historical discovery.

Set shortly before the events of WW2, 'The Dig' centers on a wealthy widower (Mulligan) who hires an amateur archaeologist named Basil Brown (Fiennes) to excavate her vast estate in the hope of finding treasure, reports Digitalspy.

When they finally make a historic discovery, the echoes of Britain's past resonate in the face of its uncertain future as World War II looms.

Directed by Simon Stone, the archaeology drama film also features Lily James,...