FridayFri, December 25th Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- Catholic Christmas is being celebrated in Belarus, Belarus
- Catholic Christmas Day is being celebrated in Kosovo
- Catholic Christmas Day (BF) is being celebrated in Bosnia And Herzegovina
- Christmas is being celebrated in most countries
- Christmas Day is being celebrated in most countries
- Family Day is being celebrated in Mozambique
- Quiad-e-Azam Day is being celebrated in Pakistan
- People born on this day are Capricorn as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2023
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Ferrari is released. In the summer of 1957, ex-race car driver, Enzo Ferrari, is in crisis. Bankruptcy stalks the company he and his wife, Laura, built from nothing 10 years earlier. Their tempestuous marriage struggles with the mourning for one son and the acknowledgment of another. He decides to counter his losses by rolling the dice on one race – 1,000 miles across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia.
On this day in 2022
- DEATHS
- Fabián O'Neill, Uruguayan soccer midfielder (19 caps; Nacional, Cagliari, Juventus), who died from chronic liver disease at 49.
- TV SERIES
- The Witcher: Blood Origin: Season 1 is released. The six-part prequel to The Witcher set 1200 years before Geralt of Rivia tells the story of the first Witcher and the events that led to the conjunction of the spheres.
On this day in 2021
- EVENTS
- NASA's James Webb Space Telescope launched in joint effort with ESA (European Space Agency) and the Canadian Space Agency on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europe’s Spaceport in French Guiana, South America.
- DEATHS
- Janice Long (née Chegwin), British radio host (Crash FM; BBC), who died of pneumonia at 66.
- MOVIES: PG
- American Underdog is released. American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL MVP, Super Bowl champion, and Hall of Fame quarterback. The film centers on Warner’s unique story and years of challenges and setbacks that could have derailed his aspirations to become an NFL player – but just when his dreams seemed all but out of reach, it is only with the support of his wife, Brenda (Anna Paquin) and the encouragement of his family, coaches, and teammates that Warner perseveres and finds the strength to show the world the champion that he already is.
- MOVIES: PG13
- A Journal for Jordan is released. A Journal for Jordan is based on the true story of First Sergeant Charles Monroe King (Jordan), a soldier deployed to Iraq who begins to keep a journal of love and advice for his infant son. Back at home, senior New York Times editor Dana Canedy (Chanté Adams) revisits the story of her unlikely, life-altering relationship with King and his enduring devotion to her and their child. A sweeping account of a once-in-a-lifetime love, the film is a powerful reminder of the importance of family.
- MOVIES: R
- The Tragedy of Macbeth is released. A Scottish lord becomes convinced by a trio of witches that he will become the next King of Scotland, and his ambitious wife supports him in his plans of seizing power.
On this day in 2020
- EVENTS
- New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara equals Ernie Nevers 1929 NFL record of 6 touchdowns in a match in the Saints'52-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
- An RV detonates in downtown Nashville, Tennessee causing damage to people and property; prior to detonating, a recorded message playing from speakers warned anyone in earshot to evacuate prior to an explosion.
- DEATHS
- Ivan Bohdan, Ukrainian Greco-Roman wrestler (Olympic gold Soviet Union heavyweight 1960; World C'ship gold 1958,61), who died at 92.
- Lin Qi, Entrepreneur.
- Robin Jackman, English cricket seam bowler (4 Tests,14 wickets; 15 ODIs; Surrey), who died from COVID-19 pandemic at 75.
- Tony Rice, American bluegrass guitarist (J.D. Crowe and the New South), who died at 69.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Dear Comrades! is released. Novocherkassk, a provincial town in the south of the USSR,1962. Lyudmila, a devout Communist Party official and idealistic veteran of WWII, is a scourge of anything she perceives as anti- Soviet sentiment. Together with other local Party officials, she is taken by surprise by a strike at the local factory, in which her own daughter is taking part. As the situation quickly spirals out of control, Lyudmila begins a desperate search for her daughter in the face of curfews, mass arrests, and the authorities' ruthless attempts to cover up the state violence. Her once unquestioning faith in the Party line is shaken by her growing awareness of its human toll, tearing apart the world she thought she knew.
- MOVIES: PG
- Soul is released. Joe Gardner is a middle-school band teacher who gets the chance of a lifetime to play at the best jazz club in town. But one small misstep takes him from the streets of New York City to The Great Before – a fantastical place where new souls get their personalities, quirks and interests before they go to Earth. Determined to return to his life, Joe teams up with a precocious soul,22, who has never understood the appeal of the human experience. As Joe desperately tries to show 22 what’s great about living, he may just discover the answers to some of life’s most important questions.
- We Can Be Heroes is released. When alien invaders kidnap Earth's superheroes, their kids are whisked away to a government safe house. But whip-smart tween Missy (Yaya Gosselin) will stop at nothing to rescue her superhero dad, Marcus Moreno (Pedro Pascal). She teams up with the rest of the superkids to escape their mysterious government babysitter, Ms. Granada (Priyanka Chopra Jonas). If they're going to save their parents, they'll have to work together by using their individual powers — from elasticity to time control to predicting the future — and form an out-of-this-world team.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Wonder Woman 1984 is released. Fast forward to the 1980s as Wonder Woman’s next big screen adventure finds her facing two all-new foes: Max Lord and The Cheetah.
- The Dissident is released. When Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappears in Istanbul, his fiancée and dissidents around the world piece together the clues to a murder and expose a global cover up.
- News of the World is released. Five years after the end of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd (Tom Hanks), a veteran of three wars, now moves from town to town as a non-fiction storyteller, sharing the news of presidents and queens, glorious feuds, devastating catastrophes, and gripping adventures from the far reaches of the globe. In the plains of Texas, he crosses paths with Johanna (Helena Zengel), a 10-year-old taken in by the Kiowa people six years earlier and raised as one of their own. Johanna, hostile to a world she’s never experienced, is being returned to her biological aunt and uncle against her will. Kidd agrees to deliver the child where the law says she belongs. As they travel hundreds of miles into the unforgiving wilderness, the two will face tremendous challenges of both human and natural forces as they search for a place that either can call home.
- MOVIES: R
- One Night in Miami is released. On one incredible night in 1964, four icons of sports, music, and activism gathered to celebrate one of the biggest upsets in boxing history. When underdog Cassius Clay, soon to be called Muhammad Ali, (Eli Goree), defeats heavy weight champion Sonny Liston at the Miami Convention Hall, Clay memorialized the event with three of his friends: Malcolm X (Kingsley Ben-Adir), Sam Cooke (Leslie Odom Jr.) and Jim Brown (Aldis Hodge).
- Promising Young Woman is released. Everyone said Cassie (Carey Mulligan) was a promising young woman... until a mysterious event abruptly derailed her future. But nothing in Cassie’s life is what it appears to be: she’s wickedly smart, tantalizingly cunning, and she’s living a secret double life by night. Now, an unexpected encounter is about to give Cassie a chance to right the wrongs of the past.
- TV SERIES
- Bridgerton: Season 1 is released. Set in the 1800s, the debut of Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) is ruined by rumors written by Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) but then she meets eternal bachelor, the Duke of Hasting (Regé-Jean Page) in this historical romantic drama based on Julia Quinn's series of novels and created by Chris Van Dusen.
- ALBUMS
- Whole Lotta Red was released by Playboi Carti. The second full-length studio release for the Atlanta rapper features guest appearances from Future, Kid Cudi and Kanye West.
- SPORTS
- K. C. Jones, American Basketball Hall of Fame point guard (Olympic gold 1956; NBA C'ship 1959–66, Boston Celtics) and coach (NBA C'ship 1984,86; Boston Celtics), who died from Alzheimer's disease at 88.
- Jaan Rääts, Estonian pianist, orchestral and film score composer, who died at 88.
On this day in 2019
- DEATHS
- Peter Schreier, German tenor and conductor (Dresden State Opera,1962-2000), who died at 84.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Ip Man 4: The Finale is released. Ip Man’s life remains unchanged after his wife’s death, but he and his son are slowly drifting apart. To seek a better future for his son, Ip Man decides to travel to the U.S. only to find the stable, peaceful life abroad is only skin deep. Underneath lies a deep rooted racial discrimination that is far worse than he has expected. Ip Man re-examines his position and ponders on the reason he took up martial arts in the beginning.
- MOVIES: PG
- Little Women is released. Little Women draws on both the classic novel and the writings of Louisa May Alcott, and unfolds as the author’s alter ego, Jo March, reflects back and forth on her fictional life. In writer-director Greta Gerwig’s take, the beloved story of the March sisters—four young women each determined to live life on her own terms—is both timeless and timely.
- Spies in Disguise is released. Super spy Lance Sterling (Will Smith) and scientist Walter Beckett (Tom Holland) are almost exact opposites. Lance is smooth, suave and debonair. Walter is … not. But when events take an unexpected turn, this unlikely duo are forced to team up for the ultimate mission that will require an almost impossible disguise – transforming Lance into the brave, fierce, majestic… pigeon. Walter and Lance suddenly have to work as a team, or the whole world is in peril.
- MOVIES: PG13
- The Song of Names is released. Tim Roth and Clive Owen star in an emotional detective story spread over two continents and a half century. Beneath the film's stunning and pulsing musical revelations burn the horror of a war and the lost souls extinguished from history.
- Just Mercy is released. Just Mercy follows young lawyer Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan) and his history-making battle for justice. After graduating from Harvard, Bryan had his pick of lucrative jobs. Instead, he heads to Alabama to defend those wrongly condemned or who were not afforded proper representation, with the support of local advocate Eva Ansley (Brie Larson). One of his first, and most incendiary, cases is that of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), who, in 1987, was sentenced to die for the notorious murder of an 18-year-old girl, despite a preponderance of evidence proving his innocence and the fact that the only testimony against him came from a criminal with a motive to lie. In the years that follow, Bryan becomes embroiled in a labyrinth of legal and political maneuverings and overt and unabashed racism as he fights for Walter, and others like him.
- MOVIES: R
- 1917 is released. At the height of the First World War, two young British soldiers, Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) are given a seemingly impossible mission. In a race against time, they must cross enemy territory and deliver a message that will stop a deadly attack on hundreds of soldiers—Blake’s own brother among them.
On this day in 2018
- DEATHS
- Sigi Schmid, Soccer Coach.
- Nancy Grace Roman, Astronomer.
- Nancy Roman, American, NASA's first chief of astronomy 'Mother of the Hubble', who died at 93.
- MOVIES: PG13
- On the Basis of Sex is released. Young lawyer Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Felicity Jones) teams with her husband Marty to bring a groundbreaking case before the U.S. Court of Appeals and overturn a century of gender discrimination.
- Holmes & Watson is released. A humorous take on Arthur Conan Doyle's classic mysteries featuring Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson.
- MOVIES: R
- Destroyer is released. Destroyer follows the moral and existential odyssey of LAPD detective Erin Bell who, as a young cop, was placed undercover with a gang in the California desert with tragic results. When the leader of that gang re-emerges many years later, she must work her way back through the remaining members and into her own history with them to finally reckon with the demons that destroyed her past. [Annapurna]
- Vice is released. Vice explores the epic story about how a bureaucratic Washington insider quietly became the most powerful man in the world as Vice-President to George W. Bush, reshaping the country and the globe in ways that we still feel today.
On this day in 2017
- DEATHS
- Vladimir Shainsky, Soviet and Russian composer, who died at 92.
- Claude Haldi, Race Car Driver.
- MOVIES: R
- All the Money in the World is released. All the Money in the World follows the kidnapping of 16-year-old John Paul Getty III (Charlie Plummer) and the desperate attempt by his devoted mother Gail (Michelle Williams) to convince his billionaire grandfather (Christopher Plummer) to pay the ransom. When Getty Sr. refuses, Gail attempts to sway him as her son's captors become increasingly volatile and brutal. With her son's life in the balance, Gail and Getty's advisor (Mark Wahlberg) become unlikely allies in the race against time that ultimately reveals the true and lasting value of love over money.
- Molly's Game is released. Molly's Game is the true story of Molly Bloom a beautiful, young, Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans and finally, unbeknownst to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned that there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led us to believe.
- Phantom Thread is released. Set in the glamour of 1950s post-war London, renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) are at the center of British fashion, dressing royalty, movie stars, heiresses, socialites, debutantes and dames with the distinct style of The House of Woodcock. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, providing the confirmed bachelor with inspiration and companionship, until he comes across a young, strong-willed woman, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love.
- GAMING: 3DS
- Style Savvy: Styling Star for 3DS is released. Also known as "Nintendo Presents: New Style Boutique 3 - Styling Star"
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Sparkle Unleashed for Switch is released. Experience the fabled Sparkle brand action puzzle like never before! Make your way through a secluded world of mystery, light magical braziers and discover a way to banish the darkness once and for all.Unlock potent powerups and use the ones you like the most to overcome Chained Orbs, Rock Orbs, Survival levels and other exciting challenges. Can you carve a path of light through the darkness?Sparkle Unleashed introduces floating Orb Slinger gameplay never before seen in a Sparkle series game. The unleashed Orb Slinger floats along the bottom of the screen providing a fresh way to experience the beloved Sparkle gameplay.
On this day in 2016
- EVENTS
- Russian military defence plane crashes into the Black Sea after takeoff from Sochi airport, killing all 92 on board.
- DEATHS
- Alphonse Mouzon, American jazz musician (Weather Report, Tenacious Records), who died from cancer at 68.
- George Michael [Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou], English singer-songwriter and pop superstar (Wham!, I Want Your Sex), who died of suspected heart failure at 53.
- Valery Khalilov, Russian military conductor and composer, who died in a plane crash in the Black Sea, near Sochi, at 64.
- MOVIES: PG
- Hidden Figures is released. As the United States raced against Russia to put a man in space, NASA found untapped talent in a group of African-American female mathematicians that served as the brains behind one of the greatest operations in U.S. history. Based on the unbelievably true life stories of three of these women, known as "human computers", we follow these women as they quickly rose the ranks of NASA alongside many of history's greatest minds specifically tasked with calculating the momentous launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit, and guaranteeing his safe return. Dorothy Vaughn, Mary Jackson, and Katherine Johnson crossed all gender, race, and professional lines while their brilliance and desire to dream big, beyond anything ever accomplished before by the human race, firmly cemented them in U.S. history as true American heroes. [20th Century Fox]
- MOVIES: R
- Live by Night is released. In the roaring '20s, Prohibition hasn’t stopped the flow of booze in an underground network of gangster-run speakeasies. The opportunity to gain power and money is there for any man with enough ambition and nerve and Joe Coughlin, the son of the Boston Police Superintendent, long ago turned his back on his strict upbringing for the spoils of being an outlaw. But even among criminals there are rules and Joe breaks a big one: crossing a powerful mob boss by stealing his money and his moll. The fiery affair ends in tragedy, setting Joe on a path of revenge, ambition, romance and betrayal that propels him out of Boston and up the ladder of Tampa’s steamy rum-running underworld. [Warner Bros.]
- Toni Erdmann is released. Winfried (Peter Simonischek) doesn’t see much of his working daughter Ines (Sandra Hüller). The suddenly student-less music teacher decides to surprise her with a visit after the death of his old dog. It’s an awkward move because serious career woman Ines is working on an important project as a corporate strategist in Bucharest. The geographical change doesn’t help the two to see more eye to eye. Practical joker Winfried loves to annoy his daughter with corny pranks. What’s worse are his little jabs at her routine lifestyle of long meetings, hotel bars and performance reports. Father and daughter reach an impasse, and Winfried agrees to return home to Germany. Enter flashy Toni Erdmann: Winfried’s smooth-talking alter ego. Disguised in a tacky suit, weird wig and even weirder fake teeth, Toni barges into Ines’ professional life, claiming to be her CEO’s life coach. As Toni, Winfried is bolder and doesn’t hold back, but Ines meets the challenge. The harder they push, the closer they become. In all the madness, Ines begins to understand that her eccentric father might deserve some place in her life after all. [Sony Pictures Classics]
- TV SERIES
- The Mick: Season 1 is released. The comedy from the co-producers of It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia focuses on responsibilty-phobic Mackenzie “Mickey” Murphy (Kaitlin Olson) who moves to Greenwich, Conn. to take care of the spoiled three children (Sofia Black D’Elia, Thomas Barbusca and Jack Stanton) of her sister, who has left the country without them to avoid being arrested.
- ALBUMS
- Run the Jewels 3 was released by Run the Jewels. Available as a free download, the third LP (not including cat-related material) from the duo of El-P and Killer Mike includes contributions from Danny Brown, Zack de la Rocha, Tunde Adebimpe (TV on the Radio), Boots, and Kamasi Washington. Originally scheduled for release in January 2017, it arrived as a surprise on Christmas Day in 2016.
On this day in 2015
- MOVIES: PG13
- Point Break is released. A young FBI agent, Johnny Utah (Luke Bracey), infiltrates a cunning team of thrill-seeking elite athletes – led by the charismatic Bodhi (Edgar Ramirez). The athletes are suspected of carrying out a spate of crimes in extremely unusual ways. Deep undercover, and with his life in imminent danger, Utah strives to prove they are the architects of this string of inconceivable crimes.
- Joy is released. Joy is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy’s inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. [20th Century Fox]
- Concussion is released. American immigrant Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic neuropathologist, discovers CTE, a football-related brain trauma, in a pro player and fights for the truth to be known. Omalu’s emotional quest puts him at dangerous odds with one of the most powerful institutions in the world.
- Daddy's Home is released. A mild-mannered radio executive (Will Ferrell) strives to become the best stepdad to his wife’s two children, but complications ensue when their freewheeling and freeloading real father (Mark Wahlberg) arrives, forcing him to compete for the affection of the kids.
- MOVIES: R
- The Revenant is released. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. [20th Century Fox]
- The Hateful Eight is released. Six or eight or twelve years after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth (Kurt Russell) and his fugitive Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh), race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman, ” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren (Samuel L. Jackson), a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix (Walton Goggins), a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob (Demian Bichir), who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray (Tim Roth), the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage (Michael Madsen), and Confederate General Sanford Smithers (Bruce Dern). As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all.
On this day in 2014
- EVENTS
- " Unbroken", drama film directed by Angelina Jolie and starring Jack O'Connell and Domhall Gleeson, released in the United States.
- Ed Sheeran was at No.1 on the UK album chart with x, (pronounced "multiply"). In 2015, x won the Brit Award for British Album of the Year, and at the 57th Grammy Awards it was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year. Spotify named x the most-streamed album in the world for 2014, racking up more than 430 million streams for the year..
- DEATHS
- Gleb Yakunin, Russian priest and dissident, who died at 80.
- Geoff Pullar, English cricket batsman (28 Tests,4 x 100s, HS 175; Lancashire CCC, Gloucestershire CCC), who died at 79.
- Mary Lyon, English geneticist (X-chromosome inactivation), who died at 89.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Leviathan is released. Kolia lives in a small town near the Barents Sea in North Russia. He has his own auto-repair shop. His shop stands right next to the house where he lives with his young wife Lilya and his son from a previous marriage. Vadim Shelevyat, the Mayor of the town, wants to take away his business, his house and his land. First he tries buying off Kolia, but Kolia cannot stand losing everything he has, not only the land, but also all the beauty that has surrounded him from the day of his birth. So Vadim Shelevyat starts being more aggressive.
- MOVIES: PG
- Into the Woods is released. Into the Woods is a modern twist on the beloved Brothers Grimm fairy tales, intertwining the plots of a few choice stories and exploring the consequences of the characters’ wishes and quests. This humorous and heartfelt musical follows the classic tales of Cinderella (Anna Kendrick), Little Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford), Jack and the Beanstalk (Daniel Huttlestone), and Rapunzel (MacKenzie Mauzy)—all tied together by an original story involving a baker and his wife (James Corden & Emily Blunt), their wish to begin a family and their interaction with the witch (Meryl Streep) who has put a curse on them. [Walt Disney Pictures]
- MOVIES: PG13
- Big Eyes is released. Big Eyes is based on the true story of Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz), who was one of the most successful painters of the 1950s and early 1960s. The artist earned staggering notoriety by revolutionizing the commercialization and accessibility of popular art with his enigmatic paintings of waifs with big eyes. The truth would eventually be discovered though: Keane's art was actually not created by him at all, but by his wife, Margaret (Amy Adams). The Keanes, it seemed, had been living a lie that had grown to gigantic proportions. Big Eyes centers on Margaret's awakening as an artist, the phenomenal success of her paintings, and her tumultuous relationship with her husband, who was catapulted to international fame while taking credit for her work. [The Weinstein Company]
- Selma is released. In 1965, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (David Oyelowo) leads a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The march from Selma to Montgomery culminates in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.
- Unbroken is released. A chronicle of the life of Louis “Louie” Zamperini (Jack O’Connell), an Olympic runner who, along with two other crewmen, survived in a raft for 47 days after a near-fatal plane crash in World War II—only to be caught by the Japanese Navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
- MOVIES: R
- The Interview is released. Dave Skylark (James Franco) and his producer Aaron Rapoport (Seth Rogen) run the popular celebrity tabloid TV show Skylark Tonight. When they discover that North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un is a fan of the show, they land an interview with him in an attempt to legitimize themselves as journalists. As Dave and Aaron prepare to travel to Pyongyang, their plans change when the CIA recruits them, perhaps the two least-qualified men imaginable, to assassinate Kim Jong-un.
- The Gambler is released. Jim Bennett (Mark Wahlberg) is a risk taker. Both an English professor and a high-stakes gambler, Bennett bets it all when he borrows from a gangster (Michael Kenneth Williams) and offers his own life as collateral. Always one step ahead, Bennett pits his creditor against the operator of a gambling ring (Alvin Ing) and leaves his dysfunctional relationship with his wealthy mother (Jessica Lange) in his wake. He plays both sides, immersing himself in an illicit, underground world while garnering the attention of Frank (John Goodman), a loan shark with a paternal interest in Bennett’s future. As his relationship with a student (Brie Larson) deepens, Bennett must take the ultimate risk for a second chance. [Paramount Pictures]
- GAMING: WII U
- Shantae and the Pirate's Curse for Wii U is released. Embark on a brand new adventure which teams Shantae with her arch nemesis, Risky Boots! When a curse falls upon Sequin Land, Risky Boots and Shantae must join forces to battle unimaginable evil. Shantae must give up her job as Scuttle Towns "Guardian Genie" and become a pirate if she hopes to get her magic back and save the day. As a pirate, Shantae gains new weapons and tools to advance her quest and power through monsters!* Flintlock Pistol (blast enemies and switches from afar)* Pirate Hat (glide on the wind using this enormous headwear)* Risky's Boots (run at super speeds! Chain your attacks as you dash through enemies & over lava)* Cannon (blast yourself into the air on a belch of black powder)Core Gameplay Components:* Whipping! Destroy monsters, topple bosses, and solve puzzles with your hair* Platforming! Run and jump through deviously designed levels* Exploring! Navigate a world of interconnected levels and Labyrinths* Belly Dancing! Dance with your Magic Lamp to suck up magic and items* Customizing! Earn new abilities, unlock stat-boosting artifacts, magic & costumes* Storytelling! Flirtatious characters and wonderfully off-beat humor
On this day in 2013
- BIRTHS
- Kimailyn Feltscher, TikTok Star, born in Switzerland.
- MOVIES: PG
- Justin Bieber's Believe is released. A backstage and onstage look at Justin Bieber during his rise to super stardom.
- The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is released. Walter Mitty (Ben Stiller) lives life through his daydreams, but when his job along with that of his co-worker (Kristen Wiig) are threatened, Walter takes action in the real world embarking on a global journey that turns into an adventure more extraordinary than anything he could have ever imagined.
- MOVIES: PG13
- 47 Ronin is released. After a treacherous warlord kills their master and banishes their kind,47 leaderless samurai vow to seek vengeance and restore honor to their people. Driven from their homes and dispersed across the land, this band of Ronin must seek the help of Kai—a half-breed they once rejected—as they fight their way across a savage world of mythic beasts, shape-shifting witchcraft and wondrous terrors. As this exiled, enslaved outcast becomes their most deadly weapon, he will transform into the hero who inspires this band of outnumbered rebels to seize eternity.
- Grudge Match is released. A pair of aging boxing rivals are coaxed out of retirement to fight one final bout.
- MOVIES: R
- August: Osage County is released. The dark secrets of the Weston family come to the surface when they reunite after a family crisis.
- The Invisible Woman is released. Nelly (Felicity Jones), a happily-married mother and schoolteacher, is haunted by her past. Her memories, provoked by remorse and guilt, take us back in time to follow the story of her relationship with Charles Dickens (Ralph Fiennes) with whom she discovered an exciting but fragile complicity. [Sony Pictures Classics]
- The Wolf of Wall Street is released. An adaptation of Jordan Belfort's memoir chronicling his rise and fall on Wall Street and his hard-partying, addiction-fueled personal life.
- SPORTS
- Mike Hegan, American baseball player, who died from heart failure at 71.