Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Hope in humanity: Pulitzer Prize-winning ‘All the Light We Cannot See’ makes its series premiere
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “All the Light We Cannot See”
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name by Anthony Doer, “All The Light We Cannot See” debuts its gripping story of history and hope on Netflix, Thursday, Nov. 2. The four-part limited series tells the story of Marie-Laure (played by new talents Aria Mia Loberti and Nell Sutton as the older and younger Marie-Laure, respectively), a blind French girl who flees German-occupied Paris with her father, Daniel (Mark Ruffalo, “The Avengers,” 2012). Bringing with them a legendary diamond to keep it from falling into the hands of the Nazis, father and daughter take refuge in the once-idyllic port town of St. Malo to escape a relentless and cruel Gestapo officer who seeks to possess the stone for his own selfish means. While here, Marie-Laure’s life takes another turn when she finds a kindred spirit in the unlikeliest of people: a brilliant teenager named Werner (Louis Hofmann, “Dark”), who was enlisted by Hitler’s regime to track down illegal broadcasts. As Marie-Laure and Werner’s lives interweave and unfold over the course of a decade, the series tells a story of human connection and how it can be “a beacon of light that can lead us through even the darkest of times” (per Netflix). Developed for the screen by Shawn Levy (“Stranger Things”) and Steven Knight (“Peaky Blinders”), who directed and wrote the series, respectively, “All the Light We Cannot See” also stars Hugh Laurie (“House M.D.), Lars Eidinger (“Clouds of Sils Maria,” 2014) and Marion Bailey (“Vera Drake,” 2004).
WHAT’S NEW ON SHUDDER “Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor” (2023)
Dive into the history of the Hell House LLC when franchise director and writer Stephen Cognetti’s long-awaited fourth film, “Hell House LLC Origins: The Carmichael Manor,” premieres Monday, Oct. 30, on Shudder. Not intended to be a continuation or a prequel, but instead a standalone story in the LLC universe, the found-footage mystery horror film follows a group of internet sleuths who investigate cold cases as they travel to the remote Carmichael Manor, deep in the woods of Rockland County, New York. The site of the infamous, grisly, and as-yet unsolved Carmichael family murders from 1989, the group discover dark secrets that have been hidden away for decades, alongside an unexpected terror lurking in the shadows. The cast includes Destiny Leilani Brown (“Out of Water,” 2023), James Liddell (“The Christmas Venue,” 2023), Gideon Berger (“The Hid,” 2023), Cayla Berejikian (“Poundcake,” 2023), Victoria Andrunik (“Lovesick,” 2023), Joe Bandelli (“Bumbloods”), Searra Sawka (“Brave the Dark,” 2023) and newcomers Bridget Rose Perrotta and Michael Caprioli.
WHAT’S NEW ON HULU “Black Cake” - Season 1
Based on the New York Times bestselling book of the same name by Charmaine Wilkerson, the new drama series “Black Cake” premieres Wednesday, Nov. 1, on Hulu. Set in the late 1960s, a runaway bride named Covey (Mia Isaac, “Don’t Make Me Go,” 2022) disappears into the surf off the coast of Jamaica and is feared drowned or a fugitive on the run for her husband’s murder. In present-day California, a widow named Eleanor Bennett (Chipo Chung, “Into the Badlands”) loses her battle with cancer, leaving her two estranged children, Byron (Ashley Thomas, “Them”) and Benny (Adrienne Warren, “The Woman King,” 2022), a flash drive that holds previously untold stories of her journey to America. This leads them through an astounding adventure that spans decades, taking them from the Caribbean to London to California and ending with her famous black cake, ultimately forcing the siblings to rethink everything they thought they knew about themselves and their family. Created by Marissa Jo Cerar, “Black Cake” also stars Rupert Evans (“The Man in the High Castle”), Cara Horgan (“The Sandman”), Rebecca Calder (“Love Me Do,” 2015), Faith Alabi (“We Are Who We Are”) and Anthony J. Abraham (“Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan”).
WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME VIDEO “Invincible” - Season 2
No one wants to live their life in a shadow — especially a super-sized one. Based on the groundbreaking comic book by Robert Kirkman, Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, Season 2 of “Invincible” premieres Friday, Nov. 3, on Prime Video. The series follows the story of Mark Grayson (voiced by Steven Yeun, “The Walking Dead”), an 18-year-old who is just like every other guy his age — except for his famous superhero father, Omni-Man (voiced by J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash,” 2014), and his own budding powers of flight, super strength and invincibility. As he steps out of his father’s once-great shadow and settles into his own skin, Mark begins to realize his father’s legacy may not be quite so “super” after all. Moving into the new season, Mark, still reeling from his father’s betrayal in Season 1, “struggles to rebuild his life as he faces a host of new threats, all while battling his greatest fear — that he might become his father without even knowing it.” (per Prime Video). The series’ all-star voice cast includes Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”), Zazie Beetz (“Atlanta”), Grey DeLisle (“The Loud House”), Chris Diamantopoulos (“The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse”), Walton Goggins (“Justified”), Gillian Jacobs (“Community”), Jason Mantzoukas (“Big Mouth”), Ross Marquand (“The Walking Dead”), Khary Payton (“The Walking Dead”), Zachary Quinto (“Star Trek,” 2009), Andrew Rannells (“Big Mouth”), Kevin Michael Richardson (“Lilo & Stitch,” 2002), Melise (“The Shannara Chronicles”), Max Burkholder (“Parenthood”), Mark Hamill (“Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope,” 1977) and Seth Rogen (“Platonic”).