Woody Harrelson

There is a sinister circular logic to the Planet of the Apes series. Characters journey to the stars and wind up … back on Earth. They travel back in time … and directly cause the events that lead to the rise of their dystopian future. Even as War for the Planet of the Apes concludes the story of the ape leader Caesar, it brings the franchise’s overarching narrative closer and closer to its origins on a desolate, sun-swept beach, one that looks a lot like the one Caesar and his monkey mates gallop across during their quest for revenge. That’s what makes these movies so troubling. It’s not the monkeys with machine guns or the gorillas with grenade launchers; it’s the sense that collapse is inevitable, that even when people (and apes) act with the best of intentions, they can’t escape the cruel hand (or paw) fate has dealt.

Woody Harrelson seems to have found himself a niche. After mentoring Katniss Everdeen to greatness in The Hunger Games, the actor is poised to go guru again for the Star Wars young Han Solo spinoff movie.

When Woody Harrelson was revealed to be hosting ‘SNL’ just a few days before the new ‘Hunger Games’ movie was set to open in theaters, it was obvious that the massively popular franchise would, somehow, figure into at least one sketch. Surprisingly, that ended up being the opening monologue, which featured Harrelson performing his own version of Taylor Swift's ‘1989.’ With a little help from some friends.

Long before HBO's dark and dreary 'True Detective' became a critical rave after only three episodes, showrunner Nic Pizzolatto explained that a second season would likely follow the anthology approach with a new cast and original story. And while HBO has yet to formally renew the Woody Harrelson-Matthew McConaughey for a second season, what of HBO's latest dealings all-but-confirms 'True Detective

Can we just talk for a minute? I'm so deeply disturbed by 'The Hunger Games,' but I can't pull myself from it's grip.