What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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January 1 - 7, 2023 WHATS UP! T11 thought it was great and would love to see more. A: I hate to say it to a fan, but you're in the minority saying you want more of "Hotel Arte- mis" (2018). The sci-fi action film starred Jodie Foster ("The Silence of the Lambs," 1991) as a nurse who runs a secret, members-only emergency room for criminals only. Despite her typically top- notch performance — which was about the only well-re- viewed element of the film — the film tanked at the box office, failing to earn back its $15-mil- lion budget. That said, you aren't alone in expecting a sequel. It engages in the sort of world-building that sci-fi often does to kick off fran- chises, but it just didn't do the numbers to justify it. If you're really aching for more "Hotel Artemis," oddly enough some of the negative re- views might help. A number of them called it "derivative" of a much more successful film se- ries: the John Wick movies. 2014's "John Wick" starred Keanu Reeves ("The Matrix," 1999) as a retired assassin on a revenge mission that often took him to a hotel that sounds a lot like the titular one in "Hotel Ar- temis." Unlike "Hotel Artemis," "John Wick" has spawned two sequels so far, and there's a third one on the way. "John Wick: Chapter 4" is due out in March 2023. Q: Is Kenneth Branagh go- ing to continue doing Hercu- le Poirot movies? A: Director/writer/actor Ken- neth Branagh ("Murder on the Orient Express," 2017) has an- other Poirot movie in the works right now, though you wouldn't know it by the title. "A Haunting in Venice" is filming right now and is scheduled for release in September. The casual Agatha Christie heads reading this are probably wondering which book that is, while the superfans know that was not, in fact, a Christie novel. But the plot synopsis, which says it will follow the famed Bel- gian sleuth as he investigates a murder at a seance he was invit- ed to, reveals it to be an adapta- tion of her 1969 novel "Hallowe'en Party." Branagh's two previous out- ings as Poirot didn't monkey around with the titles — "Mur- der on the Orient Express" (2017) and "Death on the Nile" (2022) took their names di- rectly from the books. But the superfans, at least, will know that those films be- came progressively looser with the details. And that tra- dition seems poised to contin- ue with "A Haunting in Ven- ice," since the source novel had nothing at all to do with Venice. The supposed haunt- ing took place in boring old England. It could be that Branagh re- mained in love with Poirot, but also with the destination-based elements of the previous films. While most of Christie's Poirot stories were set in England, some of the most popular ones (including "Murder on the Ori- ent Express" and "Death on the Nile") saw him take his crime- solving act on the road. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Advance Pest Control 2 x 2 TAKE 5 BY ADAM THOMLISON TV Media Q: In the opening credits of "Gunsmoke," Matt faces a guy in a gunfight. Who's the guy and what's his back- ground? A: A good TV show intro quickly tells you what you need to know about the main charac- ter or characters and the world they inhabit. And "Gunsmoke's" intro, which remained largely un- changed (with a few small ex- ceptions) over its legendary 20 years on TV, is indeed a good one. It shows Marshal Matt Dillon (James Arness, "The Thing From Another World," 1951) having a gun duel with a generic bad guy and still standing at the end. Viewers quickly get the message that Matt leads a dan- gerous life, surviving by the speed of his gun hand — that's what they need to know about Matt going in. And it seems to say that we don't need to know much about his opponent, who is only seen in the distance and whose face we can't make out. Dressed in a dark hat, vest and pants, he is a representation of all the bad guys Matt has to face on a daily basis. That's all we need to know about the character, but two of the actors who played him had a bigger impact on the show. For the first nine seasons, the bad guy was played by Arvo Ojala, a Hollywood gunplay consultant who helped teach se- ries star Arness himself how to shoot. His expertise was such that he even held a patent for a type of quick-draw holster. The intro was slightly updat- ed with Season 10 — it was now shot on a soundstage instead of outdoors, and Matt was actually shooting at a different actor (though it's still hard to tell). This one was played by Fred McDougall, an experienced stuntman and often-used back- ground extra on the show. Another version was shot lat- er on featuring a third actor, named Bill Strathman, as Dil- lon's dueling partner. Nothing more is known about him, which, ironically, maybe makes him more suited to the job of anonymous bad guy. Q: Are they going to make a sequel to "Hotel Artemis"? I James Arness, Dennis Weaver and Milburn Stone in "Gunsmoke" HOLLYWOOD Q&A Solution on page T23 Use the clues above and beside the grid to fill in the squares www.advancepestcontrolnwa.com Family Owned, Competitively Priced, Quality Service Since 1981 HAPPY NEW YEAR!