In this exclusive interview… Matthew Rhys, Juliet Rylance, and Chris Chalk discuss HBO Max’s Perry Mason with The Knockturnal‘s Kinsey Schofield.
“As Perry would say, murder is never funny.” – Paul Drake
Thankfully for us… Matthew Rhys is.
Perry Mason returns to HBO Max for season 2 on March 6th. More than a reboot, Rhys fascinatingly explores Mason’s origin story… a role that almost went to Mason superfan, Robert Downey Jr.! Rhys tells The Knockturnal that RDJ was originally in talks to play the iconic tv attorney, “The true origin story was for him to play Perry Mason. Many many years ago. He’s a big fan of Mason. That was the original idea. And… [for] one reason or another he now just produces it.”
The bromance between Rhys and RDJ was immediate. The Americans actor remembers seeing Bob star in Chaplin… “I remember there’s a sequence he does… I kind of made an involuntary noise. I was so taken with this moment… To me, he kind of works on a higher level of genius that many of us aspire to.”
When asked if the two mega-stars might share a Mason scene together soon… Rhys admits the thought is a little intimidating! He tells The Knocktural, “He would have to act with someone else because if I was acting opposite of him… that would be… tough! I would just look like a rabbit in the headlights!”
Co-stars Juliet Rylance and Chris Chalk are (obviously) also RDJ fans but agree that Matthew Rhys brings magic to the set of Perry Mason. The pair discuss what it’s like to work with Rhys, the success of the show, and the sophistication required to shoot a period piece.
Perry Mason season 2 debuts on March 6th on HBO Max.
Kinsey Schofield is a contributor to The Knockturnal and you can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
The 96-year-old legend that is Mel Brooks is still creating comedic gold. History of the World, Part 1 quickly became a household favorite in 1981, leaving viewers aching for more. Lucky for us, it only took 42 years to create the sequel, History of the World, Part 2, and it was well worth the wait.
Having limited eyesight is a struggle for everyone who suffers with it, and Peyton List was no exception. The Cobra Kai star has struggled with near sighted-ness for her whole life, but that recently came to an end. In December, List became the latest celebrity in the U.S. to get EVO – a life-changing new FDA approved implantable lens designed to fix distance vision problems or nearsightedness. List had EVO lenses implanted by her doctor to finally put an end to her many years of personal vision frustrations such as torn contact lenses on set, irritating makeup-smudged contacts during her beauty routine, and forgotten glasses when she was on the road.
Peyton List films an advertising campaign for EVO Visian ICL, a new FDA-approved vision correction lens designed for the correction/reduction of myopia (nearsightedness) and astigmatism, Wednesday, Dec. 14, 2022, in New York. (Photo by Diane Bondareff/Invision for STAAR Surgical Company/AP Images)
The EVO lens procedure involved List’s doctor adding a small, flexible lens in both eyes to help improve her distance vision. Now, she no longer has to deal with the daily hassles of contact lenses and eyeglasses. The EVO lens works in harmony with the natural eye while delivering sharp, clear vision, excellent night vision, built- in UV protection, and does not cause dry eye syndrome. If desired, the EVO lenses are removable by a doctor for added peace of mind.
The surgery was especially helpful ti List an an entrepreneur. In 2022, she also added beauty brand Founder and Entrepreneur to her growing resume, with the launch of her clean beauty brand Pley Beauty.Unlike other beauty brands that sacrifice purpose for performance, Pley Beauty features high-performance, cutting-edge formulas, with vibrant colors, sensorial textures, and versatile formats. Pley Beauty is a clean beauty brand, and all products are non-toxic, cruelty-free and Leaping Bunny certified. Pley beauty was awarded with an “Allure best of beauty” honor in 2022, for the highest honor a beauty brand can receive.
STAAR Surgical Company is a leading developer, manufacturer and marketer of implantable lenses and companion delivery systems for the eye. STAAR has partnered with Peyton List on EVO – an FDA-approved vision correction procedure designed for the correction/reduction of myopia and myopia with astigmatism. Peyton had myopia since childhood, which is also known as nearsightedness or the need for distance vision correction. Myopia is the most common ocular disorder worldwide and its prevalence is increasing rapidly. An estimated 30% of the world’s population, or 2.6 billion people, have myopia and this number is projected to rise to 50% of the global population by the year 2050.
We sat down with Peyton to talk all about EVO! Check out the conversation below!
The series Bel-Air continues its success and returns to Peacock on February 23rd.
When I think of this week’s The Last of us, the first thing that comes to my mind is that they should have saved this for season two.
Sure, the acting between Bella Ramsey and Storm Reid was good, but some of the dialogue exchange between the two did not translate well from the Left Behind DLC of the game. Here for television, it turned into a bottle episode with a little plot progression.
I was also left with questions. Why should I care about Ellie wanting a magic horse? Why were there fully functioning arcade machines out of the blue like this? It was beyond unrealistic for this to happen.
45 minutes it took to get to the scene where Riley discovered Ellie was bit from a clicker. That is too long for an episode that had a whole lot of nothing. It does not help that there were no clickers or undead the hat was roaming around in that mall. I guess the budget went to the product placement spots of GAP and Victoria’s Secret because those two brands had more airtime than the actual clicker later on.
There are two more episodes of The Last of Us and this story needs to speed up. I would have been fine if this one was early on the second season. We are this late for the story to wrap up and there should not be anymore filler episodes like this. Episode three’s placement was right for it’s slot and I cannot say the same for episode 7.
I did not want to be harsh, but this episode of The Last of Us was a waste of my time. Nothing of value will be remembered when I look back on this and I fully recommend you to either skip it, or play the game’s DLC.
The Knockturnal attended the season 3 premiere of Starz’ ‘Party Down’ at the Regency Bruin Theatre, followed by a star-studded afterparty at a magnificent estate in Beverly Hills. Luxury defined the impressive affair, dazzling guests with the venue, thematic decor, a vast array of food and drinks, and stellar details: from a Party-Down-inspired decorative van to the notable, individually-wrapped cake bites featured in the opening episodes of season 3.
Westhaus, an award-winning event production, design, and management group, was tasked with planning and producing the event, spearheaded by Owner and Creative Director Weston Gonzalez. From the idea stage all the way to planning and execution, Gonzalez worked tirelessly to bring Starz’ vision to fruition.
After conversations to gather the client’s objectives in early November, Gonzalez honed in on perfecting the venue, reviewing over twenty properties to carefully consider awe factor, aesthetics, functionality, and practicality, preemptively anticipating crucial logistics of such a large-scale event. Capacity, indoor/outdoor combination, proximity to a large theater, and valet parking capacity were just a few of the many nonnegotiable details Gonzalez factored in to ensure a smooth, enjoyable, and memorable experience for guests.
After selecting the venue, Gonzalez and his team designed a red carpet to match the visuals and tone of ‘Party Down,’ including a wall of real champagne bottles, a backdrop of champagne glasses decked in the show’s signature pink bow ties, and a fully wrapped catering van to match the iconic van from the series. In true ‘Party Down’ fashion, the color scheme was pink and vibrant and the aesthetics were delightfully over-the-top.
The night only exploded in splendor at the afterparty, which Gonzalez meticulously crafted to emphasize the venue’s stunning views of LA without sacrificing the seamless party flow. The catering menu was intentionally elaborate to inspire an on-brand tasting experience in tune with the premiere’s festivities. There was a live fire grilling and seafood station to create a play on fire and ice, large format charcuterie grazing stations, a made-to-order pizza bar, passed appetizers, and an appropriately pink dessert table, including a build-your-own candy bar. The catering staff from Food & Bounty even wore black pants, white shirts, and pink bow ties to mimic the ‘Party Down’ characters.
Additional details included DJ Lani Love and a designated photo area where guests could create video content with confetti, balloons, and champagne bottles to match the series’ social promotions. It’s safe to say Gonzalez and the Westhaus team delivered flawlessly on the vision of grandiosity and functionality, a proper tribute to the joy and extravagance of ‘Party Down.’
This week’s BMF pushed the boundaries to the maximum with this explosive episode that will be remembered by the time the finale premiers.
That is because we got unexpected key moments that moved the story forward in unexpected turns that caught me off guard. One of them being Charles being caught by Meech at the strip club. I figured that one of the brothers were going to catch him sooner than later, but I did not expect it to be Meech. It was the moment where Charles knew that he f’d up and I give a praise to the director on how this was shot.
We also learn that it was Bryant that kidnapped B-Mickie and now since Mickie’s mom passed away due to Bryant moving her to a lower tier hospital, anything can happen between these two now. Now that B-Mickie no longer wants to be part of Bryant’s investigation, I wonder how this will reflected with his bond with Meech since he had a wire on him. Also, no way was Pastor Swift letting Bryant fully crash that funeral.
K-9 continues to be a menace as he shot his own girlfriend just to help Meech with his supplier connect. The question after knowing this, is will Meech use the Colombians to dethrone K-9.
Another great character development that I am spotlighting is Lamar. Sure, he is a little more humanized since his dog is dying, but there are more layers of him now than a typical gangster. And the scene between Pastor Swift and Lamar at the church is the best scene of the episode as it showed that Swift never forgot his roots as his old life was about to come out in the church.
Overall, the strongest episode of the season so far. There are only three more episodes of BMF’s second season and I cannot wait to see how this will wrap up.
The contemplation of quit-quitting that nine-to-five job takes on a whole new meaning in Amazon Prime’s latest dark comedy, ‘The Consultant’.
This week’s episode of The Last of Us again expands on the source material while also remixing a few things from the game.
That is because we got the scene where Joel is impaled due to the ambush from The Fireflies. I must say that I like how this was done in the winter as opposed to how it was done in the building. It really showcased the sense of danger getting injured during a low temperature as the urgency for care is important.
Joel’s reunion with Tommy after all these years started sweet, until they both realized that they are not the same people that they were years before the outbreak. I was really happy to see them in the same room together though.
In my opinion, I think this is Ellie’s best episode. The actress’ scenes were well acted and the end of this episode makes me feel like it is a turning point for the character. From her having a close call with the cowboy crew detecting that she is infected, to her encounter with the residents of the new community, and her going to have to be the one to save Joel and get him to a safe place, Ellie has developed really good here.
Outside of this, we got to see Maria and her new community for the first time and the funniest thing to happen was Joel and Ellie joking about not having a proper meal in a long time. Another standout scene is between Ellie and Joel later on in the episode as she reminded him that he is not her father and for him to realize that she is not Sarah. This comes hours after Joel saw someone that almost resembled her.
There are only three episodes left for this season and I have a sense that they are going to rush Ellie’s development. But at least we can finally see what she is capable of without killing anyone. Also, anyone thought that Joel’s injury on The Last of Us reminded them of Rick Grimes’ injury on The Walking Dead?