When historians look back at the rise of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the age of the superhero movie, it is Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man who will be the poster boy for this golden age.
Downey Jr. first played Tony Stark in 2008’s Iron Man, and would go on to reprise his role in 10 total films. His MCU story would end with his character’s sacrificial death in Avengers: Endgame.
Tony Stark and Pepper Potts
Marvel Has Seemed Lost Without Downey
Since Downey Jr. bowed out from the MCU alongside fellow stars Chris Evans and Scarlet Johansson, Marvel has struggled to live up to the lofty standards that it set for itself at the box office.
In fact, things have gotten so dire that many have floated the idea that Marvel could look to resurrect Tony Stark and bring Downey Jr. back into the fold.
Photo: Marvel
While Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige recently shot down rumors that Iron Man could return, the fact remains — Robert Downey Jr. was the heart of the MCU.
The Russo Brothers Discuss What Made Downey Special
In a recent interview with Vanity Fair, Joe and Anthony Russo, who directed Avengers: Endgame, gave some insight into why they believe Downey Jr. was so successful.
Joe Russo explained how the actor was notorious for “throwing the plan out the window and climbing on top of the couch and whatever, sort of going off-book.” He added, “He does this because he likes to surprise himself. And he likes to keep things fresh. He lights up for that.”
Anthony Russo meanwhile argued that there is “no other way that he could have played that character for 10 movies unless he was doing that. Robert has certainly lived a complicated life. He understands the stakes, he understands loss, he understands the turns life can take between ups and downs. He’s always looking for that level of depth, that level of complexity. I think he knows that’s what we all come to movies for in the first place.”
No matter what the secret to Robert Downey Jr.’s success, the fact remains Marvel lost its heart when the actor left the MCU.
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Review: Nightwing #108 [Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writers: Tom Taylor and Michael W. Conrad Art: Stephen Byrne and Serg Acuna Colors: Adriano Lucas Letters: Wes Abbott
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Dick and Bea head off on board her ship only to run into more trouble and betrayal than can be imagined! It’s a pirates life!
Positives
Tom Taylor goes into a direction you don’t see coming in Nightwing #108. There have already been surprises with Bea Bennett’s revelation as Captain Blud, but there’s even more. It’s not fair to give away spoilers in this review, but there are some surprising developments. We will have to say that the surprises are not only unexpected, but quite engaging.
The pace of the plot itself is surprising as well, I certainly didn’t think things would develop this quickly. This makes it possible for this arc to have some more turns in it. One of the major developments really gets to the heart of Dick Grayson’s character and his relationships with other. It’s has the possibility to go really complex and at the same time change the direction of the series depending on how it all plays out. It’s not entirely clear how much misdirection there is.
Nightwing #108 also concludes the back up tale by Michael W. Conrad. The first two instalments from the previous two issues are neatly tied up with this third and final chapter. The conclusion is heartwarming and it, along with a far reach back into Bat-history put a big smile on my face. Conrad shows how the Bat-family can connect on a personal level, and this three-parter even shows how Dick (and Babs?) have cultivated their own mini family.
Negatives
Titans: Beast Worldis on the horizon, and with the next two issues of Nightwing part of the crossover, it feels like this arc is racing along to accommodate it. It feels like it’s going to split this arc in half. It’s a little disappointing because this issue ends on a cliffhanger and it won’t be an organic transition. A lot seems to be left for this arc and interrupting it with the crossover is counter productive.
Verdict
Nightwing #108 is another solid issue in this run. The surprises surprises and they suggest some deeper developments to come. This whole “pirate” storyline has been interesting from the first time the Hold was introduced. There’s a lot of heart in this issue between both stories, which is one of the strengths that is a part of this title.
Grand Theft Auto VI’s first trailer was released by Rockstar Games earlier than planned, thanks to a leaker who uploaded a watermarked version online on December 4, 2023. And amongst all the chaos, Trailer 1 confirms which state GTA 6 is in, something fans have wondered about for years.
There are a couple of signs that point to the state Grand Theft Auto 6 is set in, though you have to look carefully as it’s not glaringly obvious. It’s only when you go frame-by-frame that the answer starts to become clear: GTA 6 is set in the State of Leonida.
During the trailer, an Instagram Live segment is shown, with a man grabbing his crotch in traffic; very on-brand. One of the comments reads, “Only in Leonida is a crotch grab an apology for bad driving.”
Image via Rockstar Games
Another sign that GTA VI is set in the State of Leonida is on the male protagonist’s license plate, shown as he and the series’ first protagonist, Lucia, drive away following a gas station robbery. It reads “LEONIDA” in place of where the state would be on a traditional US license plate.
There’s also a second license plate with the same state name during one of the traffic scenes.
Image via Rockstar Games
Image via Rockstar Games
Leonida is very close to “Leonia,” a small neighborhood in Florida. Florida is famously what Vice City is heavily inspired by, which was also confirmed to be in Grand Theft Auto 6 in Trailer 1.
Rockstar officially confirmed Leonida in a press release on December 4, 2023, which read:
“Grand Theft Auto VI heads to the state of Leonida, home to the neon-soaked streets of Vice City and beyond in the biggest, most immersive evolution of the Grand Theft Auto series yet.”
– Rockstar Games.
GTA 6 fans will have to wait until Trailer 2 to see more of Leonida and whether the game will include more than just Vice City in it.
About the Author
Meg Bethany Koepp
Meg started out as a video games journalist in the UK in 2014, and obtained a degree in Games Journalism & PR (yes, it exists) in 2018. Later that year, she moved to the US, where she eventually became Managing Editor at Prima Games in May 2022. When she’s not working, you can find her playing her ASUS ROG Ally, training Pokémon, or trailblazing through the galaxy in Honkai: Star Rail. You can contact Meg at [email protected].
The crime genre of film and television is so ever-present that it’s hard to imagine a time without it. And also, sort of impossible. All entertainment has always been focused on the good and bad, and the truth is, this genre is as old as time.
Today, I want to dig into the genre, talk about tropes, history, and dig into the best examples in film and TV.
Let’s talk a little about the inception of the genre and how it became part of the cultural lexicon.
Crime Genre definition
The crime genre is a literary, cinematic, and artistic genre that revolves around stories of criminal activities, law enforcement, investigation, and the overall world of crime. It focuses on exploring the motives, methods, and consequences of criminal behavior, as well as the efforts of law enforcement and individuals to solve crimes and bring criminals to justice.
History of the Crime Genre
In 1903, The Great Train Robbery was one of the first movies made, and it involved bank robbers.
As movies came into their own and talkies began, we saw an influx of crime movies. The noirs of the late 30s and 40s brought the genre to a peak. These gangster films like the original Scarface and Public Enemy were classics.
However, the introduction of the Hays Code made it harder for these films to be made.
The Hays Code was the name for The Motion Picture Production Code. It was adopted in 1930 but not enforced until 1934. The Code was a set of rules governing American filmmaking. It governed the morals within movies until the 1960s.
The code was adopted because of the scandals surrounding famous movie stars which led to a media frenzy.
Studio heads were afraid the government would censor or disband them, so they adopted the Hays Code to voluntarily censor films themselves.
Pointed profanity – by either title or lip – this includes the words “God”, “Lord”, “Jesus”, “Christ” (unless they be used reverently in connection with proper religious ceremonies), “hell”, “damn”, “Gawd”, and every other profane and vulgar expression however it may be spelled;
Any licentious or suggestive nudity – in fact or in silhouette; and any lecherous or licentious notice thereof by other characters in the picture;
The illegal traffic in drugs;
Any inference of sex perversion;
White slavery;
Miscegenation (sex relationships between the white and black races);
Sex hygiene and venereal diseases;
Scenes of actual childbirth – in fact or in silhouette;
Children’s sex organs;
Ridicule of the clergy;
Willful offense to any nation, race or creed;
And be it further resolved, that special care be exercised in the manner in which the following subjects are treated, to the end that vulgarity and suggestiveness may be eliminated and that good taste may be emphasized:
The use of the flag;
International relations (avoiding picturizing in an unfavorable light another country’s religion, history, institutions, prominent people, and citizenry);
Arson;
The use of firearms;
Theft, robbery, safe-cracking, and dynamiting of trains, mines, buildings, etc. (having in mind the effect which a too-detailed description of these may have upon the moron);
Brutality and possible gruesomeness;
Technique of committing murder by whatever method;
Methods of smuggling;
Third-degree methods;
Actual hangings or electrocutions as legal punishment for crime;
Sympathy for criminals;
Attitude toward public characters and institutions;
Sedition;
Apparent cruelty to children and animals;
Branding of people or animals;
The sale of women, or of a woman selling her virtue;
Rape or attempted rape;
First-night scenes;
Man and woman in bed together;
Deliberate seduction of girls;
The institution of marriage;
Surgical operations;
The use of drugs;
Titles or scenes having to do with law enforcement or law-enforcing officers;
Excessive or lustful kissing, particularly when one character or the other is a “heavy”.
The Hays Code was abandoned in 1965 in favor of the G, PG, PG-13, R, NC-17, and X system which is still around today. It took years to suss out these ratings, but they are still used and based on the viewers’ age.
How did the Hays Code effect the Crime Genre?
Since a lot of the lives of gangsters and criminals were not welcome on screen, we got many crime movies that came from the point of view of policemen or the government. There also was the “two paths” trope that showed young guys picking two different lifestyles.
One a gangster and one a cop.
We saw this in movies like Angels With Dirty Faces. This is one of my favorite films. It follows with two kids, James Cagney and Pat O’Brien. One becomes a criminal who is idolized by the “Dead End Kids Gang” on New York’s Lower East Side. The other becomes a priest who tries to save his community.
At the end of the movie, O’Brien walks Cagney to his execution. It’s awesome.
This trope of bad guys paying the ultimate price was used over and over again to make the main point of the Hays code.
The main effect was that all the bad guys and gals in these movies had to get their comeuppance. That means we could never see the criminal win. To get around these issues, we usually saw the criminals go out in a blaze of glory.
One of the most famous is the ending of White Heat, also starring James Cagney.
Tropes of the Crime Genre
We often see a courtroom scene, gunplay, violence, and ruthless tactics. There are times the law can be seen as good and bad, depending on who you root for and when the movie was released. Movies released with the Hays Code usually show bad guys getting punished for their actions.
Main characters
As mentioned above, we often get to see both sides of the law in these kinds of movies. We get the rise and fall of the criminal juxtaposed against his or her antagonist and their work. Sometimes these are true-life people, like Al Capone, other times just figments.
So, what are these gangsters like as people, or archetypes?
They usually are materialistic, street-smart, megalomaniacal, and can be self-destructive.
They have enemies on both sides of the law. And someone is always coming for their crown. They usually have a close circle of friends they can trust.
Moral code
Even after the Hays code was disbanded, gangster and crime film and TV shows had codes. You usually never want to be a rat, an informant, or go against the family. These types of anti-heroes can be seen as doomed souls like their fall is inevitable.
They are often tied closely to the American dream.
Think about how many gangster movies are about immigrants or people who grew up poor?
Kinds of crime
These movies can follow robbers, murderers, gangsters, gangs, hoodlums, car thieves, drug dealers, and con artists.
Locations
Night clubs, secret lairs, seedy bars, prisons, boxing matches, places with neon signs, museums, and even exotic locales.
Genre mashups
The gangster sub genre has always been fruitful as a drama. But it works with comedies as well. More and more we see gangster ideas put into other genres. You have Mafia! which is a spoof film and pure comedy. But from Dusk til Dawn is a horror movie and crime movie all at once as well.
What about on tv?
A show like Barry treads the line between comedy and drama. But it’s also a crime show at its heart.
these are all fresh takes on the genre and deepen the way we look at crime and gangsters within film and television.
The crime genre in film spans generations. Unlike the western, the crime genre never really went away. It often reinvents itself for the new era or decade. The advent of technology allows for more interesting and diverse stories and modern iterations can show criminals winning over and over again.
This year saw the breakout hit Hustlers putting its pole-spin on the genre.
Where before we saw a male-dominated arena, this movie took on a true story of women committing a crime to a ton of success.
Still, nostalgia also plays a big part in the filmic version of these tales. That’s why a movie like The Untouchables stands the test of time.
Aside from being about Al Capone, it contains a memorable score and lots of memorable set pieces. Like the gangster movies of old, it has its Cain and Abel formula of lawman versus Capone.
Lastly, some directors define themselves for how they handle these kinds of movies.
And no one is better than Martin Scorsese.
I wanted to highlight Casino here because it’s an interesting spin on the crime and gambling movie. This time we take the side of the house. We want the Casino to keep winning and stealing. and when people cheat us, we want them to pay.
And it’s not just dramas.
The genre is so prevalent and its tropes are so well known that it can even fit into a romantic comedy like Mickey Blue Eyes.
This movie plays off casting pillars of the rom-com and mafia genres against each other to create a mashup that has everyone laughing.
Examples in television
The crime genre in television is a relatively new endeavor. We’ve always had TV shows about different sides of the law, but the rise in cable and now streaming has allowed us to tackle new and exciting stories.
Especially within the drug world.
A show like Narcos can take the best parts of fictional drama and blend it with real adversaries like Pablo Escobar from season to season.
While rooted in the mafia movies we love, this gives new weight and storytelling to different voices.
And what about a comedy?
Good Girls tackles these kinds of problems from week to week with laughs.
Of course, it would be insane not to mention TV’s most famous crime family and show The Sopranos. HBO is credited with reviving this genre and proving it could work on TV by mashing it up with a family drama.
The same year Analyze This came out in theaters, The Sopranos took an eerily similar logline and changed television forever. These guys knew about mafia movies and pop culture, and they leaned into it.
Of course, nostalgia reigns here as well.
A show like Boardwalk Empire stays within the traditional tropes and harkens back to the old days all with Scorsese’s guiding hand. It had everything we expect from the story and still managed to surprise us with how deep and merciless it could be.
Film and TV genres affect who watches your work, how it’s classified, and even how it’s reviewed. So how do you decide what you’re writing? And which genres to mash-up? The secret is in the tropes.
Bottled simple syrup typically stinks. It’s made with cheap white sugar and doesn’t bring much beyond saccharine to cocktails. Enter demerara syrup, mixologists favorite sweetener because it’s got notes of toffee, caramel, and coffee. It’s all natural, made from real cane sugar, so there aren’t any pesky preservatives muddling the drinks, and it’ll go great with their favorite whiskey.
Timothée Chalamet has revealed that he was initially a bit skeptical thatWonka was a “cynical money grab” amid the recent reboot trend in Hollywood.
The actor, who plays the legendary chocolatier, recently spoke with GamesRadar+ about the movie musical, which focuses on a young Willy Wonka and how he came to meet the Oompa Loompas on one of his earliest adventures.
“Like many people, when there are remakes, I feel very protective over the original character and versions you love,” Chalamet said. “Your eyebrows go up with skepticism about [whether] this is a legitimate, worthwhile story or a cynical money grab.”
But once he read the first three pages of the script, the Dune star knew the Paul King-directed movie was something special on its own.
“The song ‘Hat Full of Dreams’ was in there,” he said, referring to the film’s opening musical number. “And there was no music to accompany it, but the lyrics were so clever. [It’s] about this young Willy, who was definitively not the crazy, cynical, kind of jaded, brain-fried version that we see in the two prior films but was very hopeful, young, ambitious, won’t-take-no-for-an-answer, maybe a little naive. I think that’s very clever.”
King previously told Rolling Stone that Chalamet didn’t have to audition for the role of Willy Wonka because “he was the only person in my mind who could do it.” Now, the Lady Bird actor also admitted that he wasn’t necessarily looking for an all-singing, all-dancing role at the time.
“I love musical theater and I love song and dance,” Chalamet explained. “And I love old Fred Astaire movies and the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder. I didn’t think I’d get a chance to do it, not like this. But Paul King is one of these directors that you don’t say no to.”
It’s a case of “you reap what you sow” the third season of the Power Book III: Raising Kanan TV show on Starz. As we all know, the Nielsen ratings typically play a big role in determining whether a TV show like Power Book III: Raising Kanan is cancelled or renewed for season four. Unfortunately, most of us do not live in Nielsen households. Because many viewers feel frustrated when their viewing habits and opinions aren’t considered, we invite you to rate all of the third season episodes of Power Book III: Raising Kanan here.
A Starz family and crime drama series, Power Book III: Raising Kanan stars MeKai Curtis, Patina Miller, Omar Epps, London Brown, Malcolm Mays, Hailey Kilgore, Joey Bada$$, Shanley Caswell, Antonio Ortiz, and Grantham Coleman. Tony Danza, Wendell Pierce, and Erika Woods recur. Set in the 90s and South Jamaica, Queens, this show revolves around the coming of age story of Kanan Stark (Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson) of the original Power TV series. When we catch up with fifteen-year-old Kanan (Curtis) in the prequel, he is the only child of Raquel “Raq” Thomas (Miller), a cocaine distributor with an emerging network of dealers across the city. She’s a fierce and successful woman who is a force of nature and her son is anxious to join his family’s growing business. In season three, the Thomas family is in turmoil and reeling from the Mob’s coordinated attack on Raquel, Marvin and Lou-Lou. After her close call, Raquel is looking to make a fresh start, but Kanan doesn’t trust her or believe it when she says she’s done. Can she really be out of the game? In addition, the season features the return of Italian mob boss Stefano (Danza) and the introduction of new adversaries “Snaps” (Pierce) and “Pop” (Woods).
What do you think? Which season three episodes of the Power Book III: Raising Kanan TV series do you rate as wonderful, terrible, or somewhere between? Are you glad Power Book III: Raising Kanan has been renewed for a fourth season on Starz?
Check out our status sheets to track new TV series pickups, renewals, and cancellations. You can find lists of cancelled shows here.
Charity Lawson’s brother is offering his thoughts about social media comments addressing the former Bachelorette lead’s performance during this week’s Dancing With the Stars season 32 finale.
Dr. Nehemiah Lawson, who appeared during his sister’s season of ABC‘s The Bachelorette that aired earlier this year, took to Instagram as the dance competition’s pivotal episode was airing Tuesday evening. He took issue with apparent comments posted about Charity’s moves, although he did not include the specific remarks.
“The haters are back in the comments and I’m LIVING,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories. “Could not be more proud of you Char Char. Best freestyle EVER!!!!!”
Later on Tuesday, he offered more support for Charity, who finished this season in fourth place. “Watching my sister get unwarranted hate from a sector of the DWTS fan base has been one of the weirdest, most out of body experiences I’ve had the displeasure of witnessing,” Nehemiah posted. “The way she has dealt with this negativity, risen to every occasion, and has excelled paints her in a brand new light for me. She is literally Wonder Woman. Captain Marvel. Super girl. I’m so proud of you. I love you @charitylawson and I got you. ALWAYS.”
On Wednesday, Charity reposted his message about the “unwarranted hate” to her own account. But she also appeared to have positive feelings about the experience, posting on the same day that she “can’t wait” to participate in the show’s 2024 live tour.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to ABC for comment.
During the DWTS finale, the former Bachelorette — who is engaged to Dotun Olubeko after meeting him on the dating show — and dance partner Artem Chigvintsev earned a score of 29 out of 30 for her tango and a perfect 30 for her freestyle.
Xochitl Gomez and dance pro Val Chmerkovskiy won the coveted Mirrorball trophy as the season 32 champions. Jason Mraz and partner Daniella Karagach finished as the runners-up, with Ariana Madix and dance pro Pasha Pashkov in third place.
Two years after he was caught on camera saying the n-word, country music megastar Morgan Wallen wants fans to know that “he will never make an excuse” for using the slur because “he is really not that guy.” It’s an interesting conundrum for the guy who really did use that word and nearly blew up his burgeoning, multi-million-dollar career. Luckily for him, his casual racism seemingly helped him sell more records because we live in hell. Nevertheless, in a new interview with Billboard, Wallen, who is speaking about the incident for the first time in two years and won 11 Billboard Music Awards in 2023, says there’s no excuse for his actions. However, he argues that if he were actually a racist, he “wouldn’t have cared” and “wouldn’t have apologized” since there has never, ever (not once) been an insincere public apology made by a celebrity.
Barbra Streisand says she’s done making movies
“There’s no excuse. I’ve never made an excuse. I never will make an excuse,” Wallen said. “I’ve talked to a lot of people, heard stories [about] things that I would have never thought about because I wasn’t the one going through it.”
Per Variety, following his dalliance with racial epithets, Wallen met with numerous Black leaders in the entertainment business as part of his ongoing education “to learn and try to be better.”
“I think, for me, in my heart, I was never that guy that people were portraying me to be, so there was a little bit of like, ‘Damn, I’m kind of actually mad about this a little bit because I know I shouldn’t have said this, but I’m really not that guy,’” He continued. “I put myself in just such a shit spot, you know? Like, ‘You really messed up here, guy.’ If I was that guy, then I wouldn’t have cared. I wouldn’t have apologized. I wouldn’t have done any of that if I really was that guy that people were saying about me.”
Of course, while Wallen claims he “was never that guy that people were portraying me to be,” he was the guy who used the n-word, which probably led people to believe he’s used it before. After all, if he was comfortable enough using the slur that it could be caught on camera, it’s likely that it was a part of his vocabulary. It’s that level of breeziness Wallen brought to saying the n-word that led people to believe he was, in fact, “that guy.” So yeah, no excuses, but that wasn’t the real him.
There’s a scene in the 2010 film Eat Pray Love where Julia Roberts’s character Liz basks in the experience of eating a guilt-free pizza. It was an important character moment for her–and for many audience members. And whatever your specific dietary preferences or requirements may be, we hope that you’ll enjoy whatever your guilt-free “pizza moment” is this Thanksgiving, surrounded by friends and family (chosen or otherwise.)
Food, of course, has played as major a role in cinema as any other basic human biological function, from the sprawling bowls of pasta in the works of Martin Scorsese, to the last decade’s trend of thoughtfully investigative health-leaning food docs such as Food Inc. and Forks Over Knives. Today, though, we’re leaving the scare-mongering at the kids’ table and indulging in some seriously calorie-dense, celebratory depictions of food on film.
So cinch up that lobster bib and order another round of dinner roles. Here now are five of our favorite food-focused indies submitted for your immediate ingestion…
JULIE & JULIA (2009)
Director: Nora Ephron
Writers: Julia Child, Julie Powell, Nora Ephron
Producers: Nora Ephron, Laurence Mark, Eric Steel, Amy Robinson
Starring: Amy Adams, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci
Why We Love It: Ephron’s final film before her death leaves a long-lasting impression. Based on two books, My Life in France and Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen, Julie & Julia creates an immersive food-centric world, diving into the lives of Julia Child and Julie Powell. Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan commented: “A consummate entertainment that echoes the rhythms and attitudes of classic Hollywood, it’s a satisfying throwback to those old-fashioned movie fantasies where impossible dreams do come true.” You can never have too much butter, says Amy Adams’ Julie, as she puts three large cubes into the frying pan–a moment in the film not to miss.
Where To Watch: The CW
JIRO DREAMS OF SUSHI (2011)
Director: David Gelb
Producers: Kevin Iwashina, Tom Pellegrini
Featuring: Jiro Ono
Why We Love It: Arguably the best nonfiction portrayal of a singularly obsessed creative mind since Terry Zwigoff’s Crumb, David Gelb’s hit 2011 doc about the life and work of 80-year-old sushi master Jiro Ono will make your mouth water while also calling into the question the necessity of being quite so dogged in the pursuit of culinary perfection. Operating Tokyo’s famed Sukiyabashi Jiro out of an unassuming subway corridor, Jiro is legendarily obsessed with perfecting the seemingly simple preparation of the dish, even conscripting his own son into a demeaning, decades-long apprenticeship that has taken literal years just to learn how to cook rice properly. Meanwhile, Jiro’s younger son has struck out on his own, much to the old man’s chagrin. Jiro is hard to like, but it’s hard to argue with his results—at least based on the testimonials of those who have actually eaten at Sukiyabashi Jiro, reservations at which must be planned years in advance.
Where to Watch: Fubo, Hulu, AMC+, Hoopla, Kanopy
RATATOUILLE (2007)
Director: Brad Bird
Writers: Brad Bird, Bob Peterson, Kathy Greenberg, Emily Cook
Producer: Brad Lewis
Starring: Patton Oswalt, Will Arnett, Peter O’Toole, Lou Romano
Why We Love It: From the creator of The Iron Giant and The Incredibles, Brad Bird’s unlikely Pixar hit highlights the irony of a rat aiming to become an exquisite chef. This irony is powerful and necessary, blurring the line between the proletariat “Us” and the elite “Them.” A.O. Scott of The New York Times called Ratatouille, “A nearly flawless piece of popular art, as well as one of the most persuasive portraits of an artist ever committed to film.” This film empowers us to pursue our passion against all odds.
Where To Watch: Disney+
MILDRED PIERCE (2011)
Director: Todd Haynes
Writers: Todd Haynes, Jon Raymond
Executive Producers: Todd Haynes, Pamela Koffler, Christine Vachon, John Wells
Starring: Kate Winslet, Guy Pearce, Evan Rachel Wood
Why We Love It: Two-time Spirit Award winner (and bazillion-time nominee) Todd Haynes’ five-part HBO adaptation of James M. Cain’s 1941 literary classic isn’t exclusively about food, touching on a wide range of social issues—including parenthood, workplace inequality, death, business and marriage. But as in Waitress, cooking acumen provides a way out for our female protagonist from her domestic stagnation. Set in Depression-era Los Angeles, Mildred (Kate Winslet) leverages her waitressing experience and culinary skills to launch a thriving restaurant business and establish an identity for herself apart from her dud husband (Brian F. O’Byrne) and spoiled, narcissistic elder daughter (Evan Rachel Wood). You’ll learn more about operating a success chain of fried chicken restaurants in the 1940s than you ever thought possible. Which, hey, could come in handy.
Where to Watch: Max
THE HUNDRED-FOOT JOURNEY (2014)
Director: Lasse Hallström
Writer: Steven Knight
Producers: Juliet Blake, Steven Spielberg, Oprah Winfrey
Why We Love It: In the opening scene, an Indian mother and her young child, Hassan, shop for sea urchins in a fish market. Hassan smells the sea urchin and tastes it, offering an auspicious reaction. Later, her mother later says, “You cook to make ghosts.” Variety‘s Justin Chang called the film, “The most soothing brand of cinematic comfort food.” Breaking cultural boundaries, Hassan learns the French style of cooking–and makes it look like magic!
Starring: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho, Ken Wantanabe, Rikiya Yasuoka
Why We Love It: Tagged as the first “Ramen Western” (instead of Spaghetti Western—get it?) Tampopo is writer/director Juzo Itami’s vibrant exploration of how preparing, eating and even talking about food is a critical, inextricable part of the human experience. Goro (Tsutomu Yamazaki) and Gun (Ken Watanabe) star as a pair of truck drivers waylaid at a flailing noodle shop run by the widowed Tampopo (Nobuko Miyamoto). The food is bad, and the truckers—a pair of culinary ronin—offer to help Gordon Ramsay the joint. What follows is an insightful, process-oriented look into both the art and business of professional cooking, interspersed with several lively subplots each revolving in some way around food. Punctuated with humor and eroticism, the film is a beautiful testament to nourishment in all its definitions. Definitely worth the carbs.
Why We Love It: Late actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away earlier this year, shines in this epistolary-style romance. A wrong tiffin gets delivered, leading to romance between two individuals through food. Critic Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave a rating of five out of five stars to the film, stating: “The greatest love stories are the ones that make you root for the protagonists to come together, despite their destinies. This film illustrates how love transforms the unlikeliest of people.” This masterpiece makes you believe in love in the purest of ways, love can transcend physicality, and this movie emphasizes just that.
Where To Watch: Rental, all platforms
EAT DRINK MAN WOMAN (1994)
Director: Ang Lee
Writers: Ang Lee, James Schamus, Wang Hui-ling
Producers: Hsu Li-kong, Hsu Kong
Starring: Sihung Lung, Kuei-mei Yang, Chien-lien Wu, Yu-wen Wang
Why We Love It: A feast for the eyes (especially in the opening scene), the intricate detail of the traditional Chinese style of cooking is remarkable. In her review in The New York Times, Janet Maslin praised Ang Lee as “a warmly engaging storyteller,” writing: “Wonderfully seductive, and nicely knowing about all of its characters’ appetites, Eat Drink Man Woman makes for an uncomplicatedly pleasant experience” Eat Drink Man Woman was nominated for Best Feature, Best Director, Best Female Lead, Best Male Lead, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography at the1995 Spirit Awards.
Why We Love It: A lighthearted bit of indie fluff unfortunately colored by writer/director Adrienne Shelly’s tragic murder prior to its release (sorry for bringing the room down), Waitress is the perfect lolling-on-the-couch-in-a-tryptophan-haze entertainment for baked goods enthusiasts. The winning, lightly fantastical dramady tells the story of Southern waitress Jenna (Keri Russell), trapped in an abusive marriage and coping with an unwanted pregnancy while also engaged in a complicated affair with her gynecologist (Nathan Fillion). To escape, Jenna buries herself in her talent for pie making—photographed with a fetishistic love that practically makes you want to lick the screen, type 2 diabetes be damned. Jenna eventually finds an out courtesy of pie making contest in a neighboring town. All this, plus Andy Griffith is in a supporting roll. Shelly also received a posthumous Film Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay in 2008.
Where To Watch: Starz, Direct TV
WILLY WONKA & THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971)
Director: Mel Stuart
Writers: Roald Dahl, David Seltzer
Producers: Stan Margulies, David L. Wolper
Starring: Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson, Peter Ostrum
Why We Love It: This 1971 adaption of Roald Dalh’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) is a visual treat. Beneath the richness of the film, themes such as self-indulgence and greed play an important part of the film. Roger Ebert gave the film a perfect four out of four stars, calling it: “Probably the best film of its sort since The Wizard of Oz. It is everything that family movies usually claim to be, but aren’t: Delightful, funny, scary, exciting, and, most of all, a genuine work of imagination. Willy Wonka is such a surely and wonderfully spun fantasy that it works on all kinds of minds, and it is fascinating because, like all classic fantasy, it is fascinated with itself.”
Where To Watch: Max
GARLIC IS AS GOOD AS TEN MOTHERS (1980)
Writer, Director, Producer: Les Blank
Featuring: Garlic, and lots of it!
Why We Love It: Clocking at a breezy 50-minutes, Les Blank’s love letter to everyone’s favorite pungent herb/vampire repellant is a humane, well-observed multi-character portrait in the mold of early Errol Morris classics like Vernon, Florida. The film’s subject—other than garlic itself—is the Gilroy Garlic Festival in Northern California, filmed at a time in American history before “the stinking rose” was as omnipresent in national cuisine as it is today (sort of like if a documentary had been made about kale in 2012.) Blank devotes huge chunks of screen time to his quirky ensemble of home chefs, restaurant owners, farmers and foodies evangelizing on the plant’s behalf—“garlic euphoria” as described by one. The rest of the film is equally lively, full of music, dancing and shot after shot of appetizing, garlic-forward dishes. Just be sure to bring a breath mint.
Where to Watch: The Criterion Channel
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Four of the Republicans trying to beat former President Trump for the GOP nomination clashed at a fiery debate in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Wednesday night — one of the last major opportunities to change the dynamic in the 2024 primary.
“It is make-or-break time for the candidates on this stage right now,” said Elizabeth Vargas, a news anchor for NewsNation, the fledgling network that hosted the debate.
Although the weeks before the Iowa caucuses, the first presidential nominating contest in the nation, are usually among the most exciting and frenzied periods of any presidential campaign, the 2024 GOP race appears suspended in amber.
Trump’s lead over his Republican rivals in polls has only grown over the course of the party’s debates — all of which he has skipped. And the time for his foes to knock him off his perch is shrinking fast.
Here are some top takeaways from the face-off in the heart of Dixie.
Trump’s bet is paying off
The former president has not set foot on a debate stage this year. The decision to let his rivals bicker while he campaigns seems to be paying off.
Trump remains the prohibitive favorite to be the 2024 nominee. And although this year’s GOP debates have prompted fluctuations among the field of candidates, polling shows that he has either increased or roughly maintained his lead over his Republican rivals in national and early-state polling after each televised encounter.
Former President Trump greets supporters during a stop Tuesday at a restaurant in Davenport, Iowa.
(Charlie Neibergall / Associated Press)
Nationally, his 41-point lead over his closest rival during the August debate in Milwaukee grew to 43.1 points by the time of the Simi Valley face-off in September and to 44.1 points at the time of the Miami face-off in November, according to an analysis of polls by Real Clear Politics. Shortly before tonight’s gathering in Tuscaloosa, Trump was leading his closest Republican opponent by 48.1 points.
The former president’s leads in Iowa and New Hampshire — the states that hold the first two GOP nominating contests in the nation in January — are weaker than in national polls, according to Real Clear Politics’ averages. However, Trump still consistently swamps his rivals in polls of the two states.
Trump typically holds public appearances at the same time as the Republican debates to try to siphon attention away from his competitors. But he took a different course tonight, headlining a closed-door fundraiser in Hallandale Beach, Fla., according to the Associated Press.
The previous night, he spoke with Fox News host Sean Hannity at an event in Davenport, Iowa, where supporters screamed, “I love you, Trump!” and “We need you back!”
“We have crowds that are incredible in Iowa. We’re here last week. We had overflow crowds,” the former president told about 900 supporters, as he crowed about his lead in the polls in the state, whose Jan. 15 caucuses will be the first GOP nominating contest in the nation.
“Other candidates have seven people standing on a farm and they’re talking,” he said. “It’s a very nice thing to watch, especially for me. I enjoy watching that.”
During the appearance, Hannity asked Trump whether he would ever abuse his power to seek retribution against others. Trump declined to rule that out if he is elected president again.
The return of Megyn Kelly
Kelly, a lawyer and controversial veteran political reporter who hosts SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show,” was one the three women who moderated the NewsNation debate.
She was one of Fox News’ most popular hosts until she lost the support of some conservatives over her 2015 GOP presidential debate grilling of Trump about misogynistic comments he has made.
Megyn Kelly speaks at an August event in Aventura, Fla.
(Ivan Apfel / Getty Images)
The then-candidate appeared to pin Kelly’s demeanor to her menstrual cycle.
“You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes,” Trump said on CNN. “Blood coming out of her wherever.”
Trump later said that he was referring to Kelly’s nose when he said “her wherever,” a clarification that didn’t sit well at the time with people who were appalled by his statement. But the remark, like many Trump made during the 2016 campaign, ultimately didn’t stop him from winning the GOP nomination and eventually the White House.
Kelly left Fox in 2017, and briefly worked for NBC before joining Sirius. The Republican National Committee selected her to co-moderate Wednesday’s debate.
Kelly’s performance during the debate reminded viewers why she was admired as a skilled interviewer. As she described purported weaknesses of Trump and President Biden, she directly questioned the candidates about their electability — or lack thereof.
Noting that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was viewed as the most formidable challenger to Trump when he entered the race, but his campaign now appeared to be sputtering, Kelly asked, “Is it fair to say, as Sen. Tim Scott did when he dropped out, that voters are telling you not no, but not now?”
And she highlighted former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s support for Trump in the 2016 and 2020 presidential contests, and then his decision to run in this election as the truth-teller willing to point out the former president’s flaws.
“You can say that you got into this race just to stop President Trump,” she before comparing Trump’s strong approval ratings among Republican voters with Christie’s tepid support. “Respectfully, governor, you have not stopped Mr. Trump. And voters may wonder how you could possibly become the nominee of a party that does not appear to like you very much.”
The field shrinks
Tonight’s debate featured four candidates: DeSantis, former United Nations Ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, Christie and millennial entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
The participating candidates can be divided into three camps:
DeSantis and Haley, who are locked in an MMA-style ring match to come in second place in early-state contests and consolidate support of the anti-Trump wing of the Republican Party.
Christie, who relishes his role castigating Trump but remains mired in the single digits in polling outside New Hampshire. Even in the “Live Free or Die” state, Christie’s best showing was 14% in a survey last month.
Ramaswamy, who appears to be this cycle’s Republican version of 2020 Democrat presidential hopeful Andrew Yang — a charismatic, nontraditional candidate who excites young people but is unlikely to draw significant support from the voters who actually turn out in caucuses and primaries. He is angrier than Yang and effusive in his support for Trump.
From the very first minutes of the debate, Haley was the target of wave-after-wave of attacks from DeSantis and Ramaswamy. “I love all the attention fellas,” Haley said with equal doses of Southern charm and vitriol. “Thank you for that.”
DeSantis attacked Haley for her policies over LGBTQ+ rights, her ties to China and her support from Wall Street donors. She responded that he was a liar and a hypocrite, and that he was jealous that donors who once supported him now back her.
Ramaswamy insulted her intelligence, saying his three-year-old son could show her Israel on a map, called her a fascist and the puppet of corporate donors — frequently drawing boos from the audience as well as sharp denunciation from Christie, who called Ramaswamy and “obnoxious blowhard.”
Asked if she would like to respond, Haley said, “No. Vivek’s not worth my time to respond to him.”
Ramaswamy later told ChristIe, who has struggled with his weight, that he should “do everybody a favor, just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal and get the hell out of this race.”
Parts of the debate focused on the front-runner who wasn’t there.
Trump “started off his campaign by saying I am your retribution. Eight years ago, he said I am your voice,” Christie said. “This is an angry, bitter man who now wants to be back as president because he wants to exact retribution on anyone who has disagreed with him.”
Christie criticized his rivals on the stage, who said in a prior debate that they would support Trump if he won the nomination even if he was convicted of felonies. In March, Trump is scheduled to go on trial on federal charges that he illegally sought to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which is among the four indictments he faces in Washington, New York, Florida and Georgia.
“His conduct is unacceptable,” Christie added, prompting boos from the audience. “He’s unfit…. He doesn’t care for the American people. It’s Donald Trump first.”
DeSantis refused to answer whether he thought Trump was fit for office, but raised his age as well as his record in the White House.
“He is showing Father Time is undefeated. The idea that we’re going to put someone up there that’s almost 80 and there’s going to be no effects from that, we all know that that’s not true,” he said.
Why Alabama, of all places?
Debates typically take place in states that can play a significant role in the nominating contest or the general election, which led to some confusion when the University of Alabama was named as the host of tonight’s clash.
The first GOP debate this year took place in Wisconsin, a purple state that is among the most critical to winning the White House next year and will host next summer’s Republican National Convention.
The next one unfolded at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley — hallowed ground for Republicans that’s located in California, a Super Tuesday state that awards the most GOP delegates of any state in the nation. Despite its sapphire-blue tilt, the state has a deep trove of wealthy conservative donors.
The last faceoff took place in Florida, a onetime Democratic stronghold that has still overwhelmingly favored Republicans in presidential general elections since 1952 and is home to two of the top competitors for the GOP nomination. It’s also home to a hub of Latino voters, among whom Republicans hope to grow their strength nationwide.
On the surface, Alabama appears to be an anomaly. It is overwhelmingly red. It voted for Southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976, but otherwise hasn’t sided with a Democratic nominee since 1956. The state has fewer than one-third of the GOP nominating delegates California does, and certainly far fewer deep-pocketed donors.
But Alabama’s transformation into one of the nation’s most Republican states is emblematic of the South’s political evolution as well as the forces shaping the modern GOP.
Democratic Gov. George Wallace’s opposition to racial integration of the state’s universities and schools in the 1960s made him a symbol of white, conservative opposition to Black civil rights. Support for Wallace served as a stepping stone for many white voters to move to the Republicans, breaking their historic allegiance to the Democrats as GOP candidates began embracing the “Southern Strategy” of seizing upon racial grievances to appeal to white voters in the region.
That shift, cemented in the presidential campaigns of Richard Nixon and Reagan, set the pattern for politics in the South over the last half-century, in which Southern conservatives have become a dominant force in the GOP. Despite being born in a New York City skyscraper, in his campaigns Trump has reflected the politics seen below the Mason-Dixon Line.
Talking with ET’s Kevin Frazier from the purple carpet premiere of The Color Purple, Winfrey, 69, paid homage to the TV producer and creator behind shows like One Day At A Time and The Jeffersons.
“He was one of the grand gentlemen of our time,” Winfrey told ET. “I’ve had so much respect for him, I’ve interviewed him multiple times.”
“I mean, in the very beginning, the 70s, his shows are what started the conversation about race and justice — All in the Family, The Jeffersons — in a way that America had not been prepared to [discuss] before,” the former TV host said.
Lear was best known for his ability to craft comedy shows — like those mentioned by Winfrey — that did not shy away from major and serious topics including racism, sexism, divorce, rape and depression.
“His impact and his legacy will be felt for generations to come. Even people who are not familiar with his shows are experiencing the benefits of what those shows did for us as a culture,” Winfrey said.
The television writer and producer had a seven-decade career in Hollywood that also included the writing and producing of iconic shows like Maude, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, Good Times, The Baxters, Silver Spoons and The Facts of Life.
During a celebration of The Jeffersons‘ 40th anniversary back in 2015, former Morehouse College President Dr. John Silvanus Wilson Jr. said Lear “showed America 40 years ago that Black Lives Matter.”
“He opened the eyes of millions of Americans when it came to civil rights, women’s rights and gay rights, all by making us laugh about it heartily so that we can think about it differently. Norman Lear is and will always be, in TV and race relations, a pioneer,” Wilson Jr. said at the time.
On Wednesday, Lara Bergthold, a spokeswoman for the Lear family, told ET in a statement that Lear died “after a lifetime of laughter” on Tuesday, at his home in Los Angeles of natural causes.
“Thank you for the moving outpouring of love and support in honor of our wonderful husband, father, and grandfather. Norman lived a life of creativity, tenacity, and empathy. He deeply loved our country and spent a lifetime helping to preserve its founding ideals of justice and equality for all. Knowing and loving him has been the greatest of gifts. We ask for your understanding as we mourn privately in celebration of this remarkable human being,” the Lear family shared in a statement.
Lear is survived by his wife, Lyn Davis Lear; his six children — Ellen Lear, Kate Lear, Maggie Lear, Ben Lear, Madeline Lear, Brianna Lear; and his four grandchildren — Daniel, Noah, Griffin and Zoe.
Following his death, tributes from his Hollywood friends were quick to roll in, honoring the writer and producer for his dedication to the entertainment industry.
To see some of the tributes from Lear’s peers, including Jennifer Aniston, Jimmy Kimmel and George Clooney, check out the links below.
– Aiming to have reached 30 million premises by 2030
In a huge step for the future of UK connectivity, Openreach has today announced it has officially reached over 12.5 million homes with its full-fibre infrastructure, meaning it has crossed the halfway mark to its target of 25 million homes being connected by 2026.
Openreach, the UK’s biggest broadband network, has been working towards connecting the UK to full fibre for the past seven years, and is connecting over 60,000 premises per week to its full-fibre network, that’s a new premise every 10 seconds.
The rollout has, so far, created new opportunities for a whole variety of both business and personal needs, reaching over 20,000 medical facilities and care homes, 18,000 educational buildings, and over 3.6 million homes in rural areas.
Openreach engineer deploying full-fibre in manhole in Hythe (Image credit: Openreach)
The work, however, doesn’t stop there. As part of its announcement, Openreach also announced a further 142 locations which will soon be added to its full-fibre network, a decision which will give access to Opereach’s ultrafast full-fibre to over 1.4 million homes and businesses.
Furthermore, although their main target is still 25 million premises by 2026, Openreach has now said it is also aiming to have reached 30 million premises by 2030, a more than achievable target if they continue deploying at their current rate.
Why is the full-fibre rollout important?
Since the pandemic, the UK’s internet usage has more than doubled, putting more strain than ever on our household connections thanks to the rapid rise in working from home and learning online, and the Openreach full-fibre rollout is a key factor in tackling this drastic increase in demand.
Having invested over £15 billion in the rollout so far, Openreach is committed to meeting the nation’s desire for better broadband. Receiving over thirty thousand orders per week, the rollout has the potential to add around 431,000 people to the workforce thanks to the ability to work from home, plus it could enable anything up to 270,000 people to move to remote areas without fear of losing connectivity.
This all sounds great, but to help you work out just how big an impact the Openreach full-fibre rollout could have on you, here are some answers to key questions you might have.
Openreach full-fibre rollout FAQs
How can I find out if I can access Openreach full fibre?
The Openreach full-fibre rollout is rapidly spreading across the UK. To find out exactly whether or not you have access, you can use Openreach’s postcode checker to see the build status in your local area and sign you up for email updates so you get the latest information as and when it happens.
However, just because Openreach full-fibre hasn’t reached your area, this doesn’t mean you can’t get a full-fibre broadband deal for your home. Virgin Media operate its own cable network and consequently can provide different (and sometimes improved) speeds in different regions of the UK.
What broadband providers use the Openreach network?
Openreach provides the broadband network for over 700 broadband providers in the UK. Some of the most notable names from among these include BT, Sky, EE, TalkTalk and Vodafone.
Although Openreach provides the network infrastructure for all of these brands, each brand has its own unique broadband deals, broadband and TV deals and more to suit varying needs.
The most notable broadband provider to not use Openreach is Virgin Media, which has its own broadband network powering its customers, meaning you are sometimes able to access higher speeds or connections in areas where Openreach may currently struggle.
How might the full fibre rollout change my day-to-day life?
Openreach has predicted a number of key changes could be seen as a result of the full fibre rollout. For instance, it is thought that thanks to the increase in full-fibre in the home, around 431,000 people could add to the workforce by working remotely by 2026. This would consequently save around 300 million commuting trips and three million journeys by car.
Plus, with a reduced need to consider connection quality when choosing where to live, the rollout could enable up to 270,000 people to move to remote areas to work, reducing the strain on more populated areas and public transport systems.
When it comes to how you use your connection, full fibre offers the chance for vast improvements in this area. A stronger connection enables higher-quality streaming, for more people, and more devices. For gamers, it reduces the risk of dropping out in the crucial moment of a game or missing out on conversations in voice chats. For sport-lovers, it means never missing that key catch, last-minute goal or knockout punch due to a poor connection, essentially it enables everybody’s lives to be easier, and faster.
One of the more popular end-of-year items is Spotify Wrapped, where the music service puts together a roundup of everything you listened to that year in various statistical formats, wrapped up (well, that’s what it’s called, right?) in bright, fun graphics. You can see what music categories you followed, get a playlist of your top 100 songs, see where you stand compared to others, and find out what your listening personality is.
It’s easy to find Spotify Wrapped — and this year, you can do it using the mobile app or on the web.
When she was younger, Aria Mia Loberti had big dreams. The 29-year-old from Rhode Island loved to dance, sing, and perform, and thought about giving theater a try. But her doubts held her back.
“I was just like, no one’s ever going to want me,” she tells me over coffee in Manhattan. “Because as soon as you disclose anything about yourself that’s different, even if you don’t look different, you’re perceived as different. People don’t want to deal with that.”
Loberti was born with the genetic eye condition achromatopsia, which means she is one of the approximately 6 million Americans who identify as either blind or low vision. So she focused on other goals. She went to college, got her master’s degree, and began working toward her PhD at Penn State University, studying the ancient history of communication. But something wasn’t clicking. Loberti felt restless, and unsure what she was doing with her life.
Then she heard about an open casting call for the Netflix miniseries All the Light We Cannot See. Producers were looking for a woman who was blind or low vision to play the main role of Marie-Laure Leblanc, and Loberti figured she may as well make a tape.
“I got on camera and recorded my take of Marie reading with myself, sent in one take, and just was like, well, that was a fun afternoon,” she recalls. “Maybe I’ll get the courage to do a theater class.”
She got way more than that. Loberti was chosen after a global search to play Marie-Laure in the miniseries, which premiered last month. Critics have been raving over Loberti’s deft portrayal of the character, with The Hollywood Reporter calling her performance “radiant.”
Now, Loberti says, she is just getting started. As one of the few blind or low-vision actors currently working in Hollywood, she’s ready to represent her community both onscreen and off, and already has several other projects lined up, including the forthcoming The Spiderwick Chronicles and others she can’t share with us just yet. And while she has preferences for the characters she plays (no two-dimensional women who are just someone’s girlfriend, she says), she is eager to play characters with full vision as well.
The film “Leave the World Behind” centers on the idea of mistrust and how easy it is for humans to lose empathy for one another when faced with a crisis. It is at once unnerving, misanthropic and bleak, and, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, it’s produced by Barack and Michelle Obama’s production company, Higher Ground.
Set to become available on Netflix on Friday, it is one of three films from Higher Ground that will be released within a month of one another on the streaming service. The others are “Rustin,” a biopic about a gay civil-rights-era activist, Bayard Rustin, and “American Symphony,” a documentary tracking the relationship between the musician Jon Batiste and his partner, Suleika Jaouad. Together, the films provide the best evidence of the five-year-old company’s attempts to evolve from an earnest, feel-good brand to one that is more complex and focused primarily on good storytelling centered on, Mr. Obama said, people who are dealing with “the tensions that are in our society.”
“It’s taken a while for us to remind our team at Higher Ground, as well as the creative community in Hollywood, that this isn’t like Masterpiece Theatre — not everything we do has to fit on PBS,” Mr. Obama said in a phone interview. “We are known to watch other things.”
Those familiar with Mr. Obama’s lists of his favorite books, movies and TV shows know that his interests are varied. (When he named Amazon’s raunchy superhero show “The Boys” as one of his favorites in 2020, it shocked the show’s creator and its fans.)
“I’m a bit of a sucker for science fiction, dystopias or thrillers,” he said. “Michelle jokes that my favorite movies involve horrible things happening to people and then they die, whereas she actually likes fun, uplifting stories that make her laugh.”
In the past 18 months, the company has made its ambitions known to Hollywood by signing with the talent agency Creative Artists Agency to improve its access to new material; agreeing to an audio deal with Amazon’s Audible Originals after parting ways with Spotify; and, in April, hiring a senior executive with film and television experience, Vinnie Malhotra from Showtime.
Sam Esmail, the director of “Leave the World Behind,” is known for a paranoid and dark outlook on society, as represented by “Mr. Robot,” the acclaimed thriller series he created. He was surprised his path ever crossed Mr. Obama’s. But when they discussed “Leave the World Behind,” which is based on the Rumaan Alan novel that was a pick of Mr. Obama’s, Mr. Esmail said, he was heartened that the former president was not interested in shying away from the themes of the film, whose starry cast includes Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali.
“He really didn’t want to pull punches,” Mr. Esmail said. “He wanted to have these characters face the truth about the fragility of our society and how do we reckon with that. I found that refreshing.”
Some in the Hollywood trade press criticized Netflix’s deal with Higher Ground, struck in 2018, as being more about name recognition than actual content. “Rustin” and “Leave the World Behind” are the first narrative feature films from the company.
“There’s plenty of reason to believe that it could be a vanity brand,” said Ted Sarandos, the co-chief executive of Netflix, who last year extended the initial four-year deal for another two years. “But they got street cred right out of the gate.”
He referred to Higher Ground’s starting out with “slightly lower stakes things” like Ms. Obama’s kid-oriented food show, “Waffles + Mochi,” and documentaries like “Crip Camp,” which centered on disability rights, and “American Factory,” which highlighted the plight of blue-collar workers in a globalized society and won an Oscar for best documentary.
“I think this year, with ‘Rustin’ and ‘Leave the World Behind,’ you can see the scope and scale and potential for the ambitions that they have, and we have for them,” Mr. Sarandos said.
Among the projects Higher Ground has in development is a film adaptation of “Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom,” the Pulitzer Prize-winning biography by David W. Blight. Regina King is set to direct, with a script by Kemp Powers, reuniting the pair behind “One Night in Miami.”
But now the company is also expanding into other genres: It has grabbed the rights to S.A. Cosby’s best-selling crime thriller “All the Sinners Bleed,” which it will produce with Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment, and to “Hello, Beautiful,” by Ann Napolitano, a family drama that was a pick in Oprah Winfrey’s book club. Both will be made into series for Netflix.
Ms. Obama is also working closely with Lupita Nyong’o, who will produce and star in a romantic comedy called “Fling,” based on a novel by J.F. Murray. An unscripted series called “Boomin Love,” about older people finding companionship, is in production with a Harvard-trained behavioral scientist, Logan Ury, who is serving as one of the on-air experts.
“These might not be something people expect,” Mr. Obama said of the upcoming projects. “I think we’re now in a place where we’re branching out into different genres, and people are starting to probably get the signal that ‘Oh, if we’ve got a good story that doesn’t neatly fit into what we expect Higher Ground might be interested in, they still might be a good partner for us.’”
Producing projects based on high-profile novels, which have a built-in fan base, could augur well for Higher Ground, whose output so far has had respectable reviews, though none have topped Netflix’s weekly top 10 most-watched lists.
Still, there are plenty in Hollywood who find themselves star-struck by the Obamas. When Mr. Obama visited CAA’s offices in September, agents flooded into the company’s conference room and later described the day with words like “magical” and “the greatest.” Matthew Heineman, who in his 20 years as a documentary filmmaker has embedded with vigilantes fighting drug cartels and American special forces stationed in Afghanistan, said he had been “nervous” walking into the restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard for what he described as a “surreal” meeting with the former president about “American Symphony.”
The couple are known to give notes on scripts and will look at various edits as a project moves through post production, though Mr. Obama says he does so “with great humility.”
“One of the great pleasures of being president is everybody having an opinion about how you can do your job and frequently from people who have no idea what it’s like to do your job,” he said.
Despite the projects ahead, Mr. Obama said the couple intended to continue spending just 10 to 15 percent of their time nurturing Higher Ground, especially as the 2024 election approaches and they are called to the campaign trail.
“Michelle and I do not aspire to be full-time Hollywood moguls,” he said.
For the projects they do choose, however, their support can make the difference. Bruce Cohen, a producer of “Rustin,” credits the Obamas with getting his film made after HBO passed on it years earlier.
“Once you have them in your corner, it gives you a really good chance,” he said.
And Mr. Heineman, whose film documents Ms. Jaouad’s battle with leukemia, was able to form a partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and the Be the Match organization, which helps connect patients to bone marrow donors, because of Higher Ground, he said.
“The idea of trying to make an impact with the film was something that was important to him and important to me,” Mr. Heineman said, referring to Mr. Obama.
While Mr. Obama was no stranger to Hollywood — since his early days of campaigning for the presidency he found a welcoming audience among the show business elite — he has found that working in this business has taken some getting used to.
“It’s ironic that the private sector is made out to be this hyper-efficient thing, and the government is plodding, slow,” he said. “I think part of it is ideological and part of it is people’s experience with the D.M.V.”
“Everything takes so long — decisions, contracts, scripts,” Mr. Obama said. “We organized a major address or a G20 meeting in three weeks. Getting somebody to read a script in three weeks is lucky, much less write a script in three weeks.”
I can honestly state that my friends are talking about the Marvel Cinematic Universe more this week than they have at any point since Avengers: Endgame.
Alas, their obsession isn’t a positive, as much of the country is currently debating what has gone wrong with the MCU.
Over the last week, I’ve read stories with headlines like:
Marvel Studios Taking Stock of Strategy Amid ‘The Marvels’ Meltdown
‘The Marvels’ melts down at the box office, marking a new low for the MCU
How Disney can save the Marvel Cinematic Universe
Source: Marvel Studios
There was even an outlier from Forbes entitled Marvel Studio Woes Are Overstated.
I commend that journalist for bravely taking a stance that isn’t the least bit popular at the moment. I’m at least somewhat about to do the same.
The MCU is obviously in trouble. What can Marvel do to fix it?
Target a New Audience
Scarlet Witch was dusted in the MCU before coming back to save the universe (and break it). Photo: Marvel Studios
When filmmakers have asked me for feedback on consumer behavior, I’ve always stressed one immutable fact.
Every generation changes, and a generation lasts about six years. That’s the time it takes someone to go through 7th through 12th grade.
Why does this matter? Nobody wants to like what their older sibling likes. They want their own thing.
MCUExchange
Part of the maturation process involves placing a generational stamp on the zeitgeist.
You can trace 40 years of pop music to recognize the point. Eventually, Rap and R&B forced their way onto MTV, changing the musical landscape.
Afterward, people rebelled against the MTV era and hair bands with alternative and grunge. Overnight, people dropped the hairspray and chose not to shower.
Eugene Cordero plays Casey in the MCU and Rutherford on Lower Decks. Photo: Marvel
Later, boy bands returned to prominence before new computer-focused music like electronica and EDM evolved into the sounds of tech-savvy generations.
In a way, the MCU caught a break because its build from Iron Man to The Avengers satisfied one generation of movie-goers.
Then, Marvel earned a second helping when it started again with the Thanos build, which concluded in 2019.
Photo: Screenrant.com
That’s two different generations who loved the MCU. Then, the pandemic came, and our tastes changed.
Meanwhile, the quarantine generation is looking around at the Marvel stories they’ve gotten. They’re understandably feeling shortchanged.
What Marvel needs to do is reboot a bit and get more in touch with the next generation of film lovers.
Photo: Marvel
Conveniently, one of them is Iman Vellani, a Marvel superfan. She can and should become one of the MCU’s most powerful voices.
Her peers are the ones who have experienced a lifetime of the MCU. I’m not even joking. She was six when Iron Man came out.
This is Marvel’s target demographic for the next 30 years, and they need more persuasion.
Make Better Television Series
Source: Marvel Studios
Okay, Marvel has already addressed this criticism. In recent weeks, Kevin Feige and his team admitted that they have been doing it wrong.
Television existed for a century before Marvel got involved. It was hubris on Feige’s behalf to believe that the Marvel system would work better.
Executives quickly learned that they weren’t playing the long game in creating limited-run series.
Source: Marvel Studios
Even when those shows created a buzz, as happened with Moon Knight, the characters vanished without a trace from the MCU.
Sure, Marvel always intended to bring them back, but fans grow impatient more quickly today.
Marvel series need to run longer in-season and across seasons. Remember that Loki recently became the first MCU title to gain a second season!
Source: Marvel Studios
I honestly don’t even understand how that’s possible. Ms. Marvel and Hawkeye should have filmed their second seasons already.
Neither one is even sure to occur at this point, which is maddening. Instead, Marvel appears to be building toward another joint movie of some sort.
Apparently, Marvel has seen the light, though. The studio has promised that it’ll accept television convention by making longer series that last multiple seasons.
Source: Marvel Studios
We just witnessed with Loki how well this strategy works when executed perfectly.
So, let’s do it again with She-Hulk and Moon Knight and hopefully Wonder Man.
Do you know what the other benefit of longer seasons is? These characters don’t get stuck in limbo for as long because you can do crossovers!
Marvel worked against its own best interests with its television production strategy.
Ignore Some of the Criticism
Image: Marvel
This suggestion is hard to achieve because Disney must take ownership of every media cycle.
Otherwise, outside interests describe Disney, often in unflattering ways due to schadenfreude.
I’m blessed to know and have worked with many of the finest box office analysts. They’re also very funny people.
Source: Marvel Studios
One of them recently quipped, “Okay, you pulled 23 straight magic tricks, but I didn’t like the 24th!”
There’s a lot of truth to that joke because of the track record the MCU has established. It is THE most successful franchise in Hollywood history.
Do you think the people running other studios aren’t bursting with jealousy over what Marvel has accomplished?
Getting help, Thor’s still heroic despite his trauma. Photo: Marvel Studios
Every long-standing member of the film industry has suffered innumerable failures. Before the pandemic, Marvel really hadn’t.
The “worst” MCU title in terms of box office is the one the studio doesn’t even acknowledge: The Incredible Hulk. It earned $135 million.
Do you know what everyone calls a movie that claims $135 million in domestic box office? A blockbuster.
Tony Stark’s death. Photo: Marvel
While The Marvels will likely fall short of that total, it would still be one of only four MCU titles to finish with less than $180 million in domestic box office.
At absolute worst, Marvel has a success rate of 87 percent. Realistically, it’s probably 94 percent. So, there’s gonna be some envy involved.
Marvel should listen to all the criticisms but dismiss the ones that come across as petty and vindictive rather than helpful.
A Focus on Hits
Source: Marve/ Fox
Sometimes, less is more. In the case of Marvel Studios, Kevin Feige has accepted this fact.
After scheduling 2020-2023 to include maximum Marvel, Feige has backed away from this stance.
In 2024, Marvel will release only one film, Deadpool 3, as opposed to the three we had in 2023, three in 2022, and four in 2021.
Source: Fox/ Marvel
Yes, after opening ten films in three years, Marvel will drop to a single title in 2024.
Let’s just say that a lot is riding on Deadpool 3.
I fervently agree with this approach, though. Marvel’s other options for 2024 came down to a clearly unrefined Captain America: Brave New World and a rushed Blade production.
Source: Marvel
Neither of those options would have done anything other than providing affirmation to the critics of Marvel that the studio has lost its way.
Conversely, everyone loves Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman, especially when they’re playing Deadpool and Wolverine.
Combined with a marketing strategy that connects the dots from Fox’s 2000 film, X-Men, to the MCU, Deadpool 3 is poised to explode at the box office.
Photo: Fox
This film should become Marvel’s first billion-dollar box office blockbuster since the pandemic.
For this same reason, Marvel has likely complicated bringing back some of the original Avengers.
The studio fully intended to cut costs by shaving payroll. That strategy has backfired completely, as audiences haven’t responded to the new characters as much.
Source: Marvel Studios
None of us believes it’s a coincidence that Disney’s best-performing films since the pandemic are the sequels.
Among the new characters, only Shang-Chi has struck a chord. Meanwhile, Ant-Man and Captain Marvel have taken a step back.
In Case of Emergency, Call the Avengers
Marvel Studios
Finally, Marvel should get Chris Evans on the phone and ask whether he’s interested in a cameo in Brave New World.
Similarly, in the wake of Loki’s season finale, Marvel has opened the door for “dead” characters to return. They should.
Yes, I’m talking about Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Robert Downey, Jr. as Iron Man.
Photo: Marvel
Also, while Marvel’s ultimate boss, Bob Iger at Disney, just said the studio would focus on new characters rather than creating sequels, Thor should still return.
Disney spent more than a decade building its MCU. With everything else falling apart, Marvel should reunite the Avengers to ensure box office success.
Photo: Marvel
I equate that decision to Disney recently confirming sequels to Toy Story and Frozen. If fans want more of these characters, give it to them!
When a customer tells you that they want to give you money, let them!
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Review: Titans #5 [Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer: Tom Taylor Art: Nicola Scott Colors: Annette Kwok Letters: Wes Abbott
Reviewed by: Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
What will the Titans do to make a difference in Borneo, and how will the team finally save Wally?
Positives
There’s something about the way that Nicola Scott draws Donna Troy that acknowledges her classic look from her New Teen Titans days and convinces the reader this is the same character albeit older. Scott imbues a personality with all her faces that engage the reader and assist in conveying the emotional and character beats of the story. There’s a warmth and familiarity that comes along with it that makes Scott’s work special and recognizable.
There’s an interesting idea at work in Titans that progresses in Titans #5. Just how would super-heroes address environmental issues? Beast Boy is a perfect choice through which to tell that story. With Beast Boy it comes across as a character driven tale. It makes sense that Garfield would experience an empathy and connection with the animals he connects with when he uses his powers. Raven’s description of what happens is a beautiful way to convey what he experiences.
In this new post-Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths DC Universe with the Titans as the preeminent super team it makes sense that they would recruit other members to help them in their work. If they are attempting to find a way to make a differences ecologically, getting Swamp Thing involved is more than obvious. Levi Kamei assists the team in Titans #5 and it’s a great use of the newest avatar of the Green.
There’s a surprising twist at the end of the issue that appears to open up the scope of the influence of The Church of Eternity. Taylor is planting a lot of seeds (pun intended) and it’s looks to be satisfying to see it play out.
Negatives
While it’s good that Wally’s fate has been sorted in Titans #5, it may have come a little too quickly. Hopefully, the Beast World crossover will fit organically with what is going on, however at this point it seems that it will be a diversion away from the Church of Eternity storyline that has been in the background since issue #1.
Verdict
Taylor presents a different approach to how super-heroes interact with their world. It may not be for everyone, but comics have always reflected the world in which they are produced, and this particular aspect suggests something not only different, but pertinent in our own world. It provides a different kind of connection as well as showing that saving the world can have a different meaning.
WTMG’s Leo Faria: “The games included in Jurassic Park Classic Games Collection are, at best, novelties, with the exception of maybe one or two titles, namely the NES original. I also feel the collection should have included more titles, such as the 3DO’s Jurassic Park Interactive and the Game Gear and Master System Jurassic Park games. If the intention of this collection was to preserve the (mixed-at-best) legacy of the original Jurassic Park‘s tie-in releases, then I feel more worked should had been put into it. As it stands, this is not a terrible first attempt from Limited Run Games in terms of remastering and emulating games, but they do need to improve upon the amount of extras and title variety included in their compilations.”
Marvel’s Deadpool 3 has already had several photos leaked from set. And unlike his character, Ryan Reynolds is not laughing it off with a fast quip.
Reynolds posted a plea for restraint on spoilers to this Instagram stories today.
“Surprises are part of the magic of theatrical movies. It’s important for us to shoot the new ‘Deadpool’ film in real, natural environments, using practical effects as opposed to making the movie indoors and digitally. Telephoto lenses continue to spoil surprises and create a difficult situation for everyone,” Reynolds posted on his Instagram story Wednesday morning.
Recent leaks include “X-Men” villain Sabretooth returning to fight Deadpool and Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine, and Deadpool holding Sabretooth’s severed head.
“Here’s hoping some of the websites and social channels hold back showing images before they’re ready,” Reynolds continued. “The film is built for audience joy — and our highest hope is to preserve as much of that magic as possible for the finished film and the big screen. Part of the reason people post spoilers is because they’re excited. I realize these aren’t real world issues and it’s firmly in the ‘good problems’ bucket. I love making this movie.”
“Deadpool 3” is arriving in theaters on July 26, 2024.
The Saturday Night Live alum recently opened up on the Bitch Sesh podcast, according to media reports, about her experience filming the show, in which she guest starred in the pilot episode.
“Tim Allen was such a bitch. It was the truly single worst experience I’ve ever had with a co-star ever,” Wilson said, adding that she had “buried this” story until now because one of the show’s producers is “a great friend” of hers and because her children “loved the movies”.
The Santa Clauses is a sequel to Allen’s trilogy, 1994’s The Santa Clause, 2002’s The Santa Clause 2 and 2006’s The Santa Clause 3: The Escape Clause.
“So I’m in a scene. It’s just me and Tim Allen and I’m supposed to throw things at him,” Wilson recalled. “I think he’s a burglar. So he’s coming down the chimney, obviously as Santa, and I am woken up thinking there’s an intruder, basically like a home invasion scene.”
The Gone Girl actress continued to explain, “So I’m throwing things at him. [He] goes over to the producer who is standing four feet from me and goes, and I hear him, he goes, ‘You gotta tell her to stop stepping on my lines.’ The producer turns to me with horror on his face and has to walk one foot to me and he goes, ‘Um, Tim would ask that you stop stepping on his lines.’”
Wilson added that “everybody was walking on eggshells” around Allen while on set, noting that “people just looked frantic.”
“When he was done, he was so fucking rude. Never made eye contact, never said anything. It was so uncomfortable,” she said, adding that Allen left abruptly once they finished filming the scene.
“It’s the end, and Tim Allen goes, ‘Leaving!,’ takes his Santa cape, picks it up and drops it on the floor and walks out,” Wilson remembered. “And they hustle in his stand-in; lovely man, who was much nicer to act against. People are scurrying to pick up his velvet Santa coat. He’s a bitch. And this is the best… I will not say who said this. This was someone that I do not know, perhaps in the crew. [He or she] breezes past me and just goes, ‘You’re seeing him on a good day.‘”
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Allen’s rep for comment.
The first two seasons of The Santa Clauses, in which Allen stars as Santa Claus/Scott Calvin, are currently streaming on Disney+.
Norman Lear’s life and legacy took center stage tonight at the 2023 Sentinel Awards at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.
The awards, which celebrate the storytellers behind some of the year’s most impactful stories, heard a statement from Lyn Lear read at the start of the show by Marty Kaplan, founding director of the Norman Lear Center.
“I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all… he would want us to laugh.”
The night celebrated Lear’s lasting impact on television and the world, underlining his strong advocacy that television and storytelling makes a difference.
The ceremony was hosted by Emmy-winning producer, comedian, actor, and writer Larry Wilmore, who introduced 11 powerful storylines and the creative teams behind them.
Wilmore joked, “Well you got to say this about Norman – the man knew how to make an exit. He knew his audience. And wanted us to make sure we were all listening.”
He continued, “A giant has left us and we’re going to do him proud. This evening meant a lot to Norman, because he believed television can reflect our best. That’s why the Sentinel Awards were created – to honor television’s best and brightest writing.”
The creators, showrunners and writers who garnered a Sentinel Award were recognized for their meaningful and accurate portrayals onscreen that tackled timely and important topics. Those included abortion, systemic racism, climate change, and mental health.
Among the show’s winners were writers Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez (Mrs. Davis), Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Fleishman is in Trouble), Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett (Station 19), and Liz Tigelaar (Tiny Beautiful Things).
The full list of 2023 Sentinel Award Winners:
Depiction of Abortion:
Julie Wong, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – “When I Get to the Border”
Depiction of A.I,:
Tara Hernandez & Damon Lindelof , Mrs. Davis (Peacock) – “The Final Intercut: So I’m Your Horse”
Matt Fleckenstein, Zach Anner, and Gillian Grassie, Best Foot Forward (Apple TV+) – “Halloween”
Depiction of Climate Change:
Scott Z. Burns, Extrapolations (Apple TV+) – ‘2046: Whale Fall”
Depiction of Diplomacy:
Debora Cahn and Anna Haden, The Diplomat (Netflix) – “Some Lusty Tornado”
Depiction of Economic Disparities:
Chris Estrada, Matt Ingebretson, Pat Bishop, Jake Weisman, This Fool (Hulu) – “Los Botes”
Depiction of End of Life:
Liz Tigelaar, Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu) – “The Nose”
Depiction of Maternal Health:
Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman is in Trouble (FX on Hulu) – “Me-Time”
Depiction of Mental Health:
Adam Kay, This is Going to Hurt (AMC+) “Episode 6” – BBC
Depiction of Systemic Racism:
Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett, Station 19 (ABC) – “We Build Then We Break”
The Sentinel Awards are presented by Hollywood, Health & Society, which provides entertainment industry professionals with accurate and timely information for storylines dealing with health, safety, and security through consultations and briefings with experts.
Based at the Norman Lear Center, HH&S is a free resource for writers, producers, and others in search of credible information.
My newest TV show fascincation is “Squid Game” on Netflix. Loved the original show when it premiered in 2021. Now they decided to make a reality show out of it and it premiered last week when they dropped the first 5 episodes. Yesterday, they dropped eps #6-9. Next week is just the one episode finale. Well, come to find out, Louisa Warwick (Player #166) was a fan of the podcast so of course I wanted to have her on. She discusses her short time on the show, how she got cast, the asinine way she was eliminated from the show, and much, much more. We recorded this on Tuesday, so the only spoilers talked about are episodes #1-5. I believe I do discuss some of the things I watched yesterday in episodes #6-9 during the 10 minutes or so of the open. So if you haven’t watched and don’t want to be spoiled, you’ve been warned. But all in all, a very fun and behind-the-scenes look at the conditions the players were under in “Squid Game.” Thanks to Louisa for coming on and sharing her experience.
You can listen to today’s podcast on a number of platforms, but you can also tune in by clicking the player below:
(SPOILERS) I begin by giving a little preview of “Squid Game” on Netflix and discuss what’s happened in the first 9 episodes. Then Player #166, Louisa Warwick, joins me (10:14) to discuss how she got cast, what it was like participating in the show, how Red Light Green Light really worked, and much, much more.
(SPOILERS) Today’s Daily Roundup covers “Squid Game: The Challenge,” today’s podcast guest, more on Joey’s spoilers, the Hollywood Reporters hatchet job they did on Gerry yesterday & his response, DWTS, Survivor, & The Challenge.
You can listen to that podcast on a number of platforms, but you can also tune in here:
The distributor Toho International said it’s been adding screens this week due to marketplace demand. It will be playing the film by Takashi Yamazaki in 2,540 locations (up from 2,308).
Godzilla Minus One made over $11.4 million at its North America opening, beating Godzilla 2000: Millennium ($10 million) and current title-holder The Adventures of Milo & Otis (a comedy adventure featuring an orange tabby cat named Milo and a pug Otis), which grossed $14.1 million in 1989 and a 1990 re-release.
Godzilla Minus Zero is certified fresh on Rotten Tomatoes at 97% with critics (read Deadline’s review here) and 98% with audiences.
The biggest foreign opening this year was Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba, which opened to $10.1 million in March.
Yamazaki also wrote the screenplay and served as director of VFX. “I am happy that Godzilla, of all characters, has eclipsed a record that had not been broken for a long time. Looking back, I think that the cast and crew were all working on the film with the same goal in mind: to make something entertaining! That is what led to such a wonderful result. I will always remember this,” he said in a statement provided by Toho.
“Toho’s iconic movie monster Godzilla remains a screen idol some 70 years after first appearing in theaters,” said Comscore’s Paul Degarabedian. “This exciting and original take on the Godzilla mythology has captivated audiences and critics alike with its impressive VFX imagery, bold filmmaking style and the box office result reflects the enthusiastic moviegoer response to the film.”
When notorious pedophile and wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein died in a jail cell in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking minors, he left conspiracy theorists with a tangled web of lurid mysteries that would keep them busy for years to come. Suspicions that Epstein hadn’t really hanged himself soon gave way to claims of a vast coverup — the man supposedly murdered to prevent him from revealing the worst secrets of the global elite.
Now, four years later, far-right politicians and commentators are again fixated on Epstein’s personal connections, and using his vile reputation to push a variety of agendas — from trying to derail a congressional ethics probe to raising the temperature of Israel-Hamas war rhetoric.
Republican Sen. Marsha Blackburn, for one, has led a weeks-long crusade demanding the release of flight logs from Epstein’s private jet, which is known to have welcomed many high-profile passengers aboard, including Bill Clinton, Donald Trump and Prince Andrew. But the timing of this move is a little suspect: she called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to issue the Epstein subpoena last month as they moved toward authorizing subpoenas for real estate billionaire Harlan Crow and right-wing legal activist Leonard Leo as part of an ethics probe into conservative Supreme Court Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito. Blackburn has denounced that investigation. “The whole charade is truly disgusting,” she said in November. “You are going after a way to delegitimize the court as an institution.”
The American people deserve to know the names of every person who participated in Jeffrey Epstein’s human trafficking ring.
We need to see his flight logs. I’ve asked the Senate Judiciary Committee to authorize a subpoena to his estate so we can review these documents.
Since then, Blackburn has accused the committee chair, Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, of blocking the subpoena — though a committee aide has said it was filibustering Republicans who did not allow for debate on the proposal last week. She also used her time during hearing testimony from FBI Director Christopher Wray on Tuesday to ask if he would make the full flight logs public, and was apparently unsatisfied with his answer. A Fox News reporter confronted Durbin about the Epstein logs the same day, contributing to the right-wing narrative that he is actively suppressing their release. Blackburn has continued to hint that Democrats and the FBI are colluding in an effort to hide “the names of pedophiles” from the American people.
Editor’s picks
Why did @SenatorDurbin appear to not know about my subpoena request for Jeffrey Epstein’s flight logs?
Why are Democrats stonewalling this issue?
Why has the FBI failed to investigate?
Why don’t they want the names of pedophiles released to the American public?
Tuesday night, Fox News host Jesse Watters ran with the story and added a new twist with his interview of presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., when he asked if the candidate had ever flown on Epstein’s plane himself. Kennedy admitted that he had, twice, in the early Nineties. (Previously, he had told Newsweek that he’d only flown with Epstein once.) While denying any criminal activity or visits to Epstein’s private island in the Caribbean, Kennedy, too, called for the flight logs — as well as “client lists” for the trafficking ring run by Epstein and convicted accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell — to be released.
Meanwhile, the ongoing bombardment of Gaza by Israel after the militant group Hamas launched a deadly attack against the country in October has resurrected a long-running but unproven theory about Epstein: that he acted as an agent of the Israeli government, or its intelligence agency, Mossad, gathering damaging information about a wide range of powerful individuals.
Here, too, the rhetoric has more to do with attacking political opponents than the disputed facts of Epstein’s life: among social media accounts currently focused on the war in the Middle East, some far-right commentators that have pivoted to pro-Palestine content are now using Epstein’s name as an antisemitic talking point. Angelo John Gage, a white nationalist tweeting as “Lucas Gage” and racking up followers while posting Hitler quotes, previously tweeted that Epstein “was a Jewish Mossad agent” and on Wednesday wrote that Epstein “was just following orders…from the Talmud,” a central text of Judaism. Failed senate candidate Sam Parker, who has recently alluded to the antisemitic conspiracy theory that a Rothschild banking dynasty controls the world, on Monday tweeted: “Have you ever noticed how so many pro-Israel accounts tweet outrage over the whole Epstein affair, but never talk about how Epstein worked for Israel?”
Related
Other right-wingers amassing huge audiences by repeatedly denouncing Israel’s actions in Gaza who have played up Epstein’s links to the nation include pro-Russia MAGA influencer Jackson Hinkle, Andrew Tate supporters Sulaiman Ahmed and @CensoredMen (the latter absurdly claimed that Epstein was able to blackmail enough “American politicians, hedge fund managers and bank managers” to make the U.S. staunchly pro-Israel), and former UFC and MMA fighter Jake Shields. QAnon promoter Dom Lucre, best known for having his banned X (formerly Twitter) account reinstated by owner Elon Musk after posting images of child sexual abuse, even implied he’d been swatted for sharing a video from Russian media outlet RT alleging that Epstein worked for the Israeli government.
The notion that Epstein was some kind of spy, agent or asset is not totally far-fetched. Some who knew him have said as much. Ghislaine Maxwell’s father, Robert Maxwell, was also suspected of having ties to Mossad. And it’s well-established that Epstein had prominent friends and partners in Israel, including former Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who headed an Israeli defense industry startup in which Epstein invested.
Yet whatever foreign influence campaign Epstein may have aided — and there is no proof he ever did — it’s hard to see what relevance it would have to the ongoing carnage in Gaza today. As Blackburn and Fox News make insinuations about unnamed people on Epstein’s flight logs to distract from a Supreme Court ethics inquiry, and social media clout-chasers invoke the convicted sex criminal as a proxy for Israel who inspires universal revulsion, more people are dragged down the conspiracist rabbit hole.
Courtesy of Sundance Institute | Photo by Darek Golik
Director: Jakub Piątek
About: Young pianists take part in the legendary International Chopin Piano Competition. A unique chance of a lifetime, portrayed from backstage and set to Chopin’s music.
About: Spurred by a provocative family memory and a lifetime of separation from the country her mother left behind, a young filmmaker delves into her mother and grandmother’s complicated pasts and her own fractured Iranian identity.
About: Fashion revolutionary Bethann Hardison looks back on her journey as a pioneering Black model, modeling agent, and activist, shining a light on an untold chapter in the fight for racial diversity.
Toronto police say the driver who fatally struck a man, who was laying on the ground, and fled the scene last month has been charged.
Police said the pedestrian-involved collision happened around Wellington and Scott streets, just east of Yonge Street, at approximately 6:38 a.m. on Nov. 14.
According to police, a black SUV was travelling northbound on Scott Street and stopped at Wellington East.
The SUV then proceeded to drive and mounted the curb before striking a pedestrian, who was sleeping on the southeast corner, police said.
Police say the pedestrian was as a 57-year-old male.
“That vehicle then continued northbound with the individual trapped underneath their car,” Insp. Jeff Bangild told Global News at the time.
Bangild said the driver did not stop and continued driving, leaving the pedestrian on the roadway.
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The pedestrian was taken to hospital in life-threatening condition, and later died from his injuries, police said.
In an update, police confirmed they located the driver and the vehicle involved in the fatal collision, with the assistance of the public.
On Wednesday, police said a 63-year-old man from Mississauga was arrested and charged with failure to stop at an accident causing death.
Note: This story contains spoilers from the “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 1 finale.
After 10 episodes and three weeks, Netflix revealed the winner of its reality take on “Squid Game” during Wednesday’s Season 1 finale.
Much like the South Korean Netflix drama it’s based on, “Squid Game: The Challenge” pitted 456 contestants against each other all in the hopes of walking away with $4.56 million. Most of the trials and tests players had to endure were taken right out of Hwang Dong-hyuk’s wild and twisted world. But baked into the mix were new challenges unique to this competition that remained in line with the franchise where losing children’s games means elimination.
Ahead of the final episode, Sam Wells (Player 016), Mai Whelan (Player 287) and Phill Cain (Player 451) resulted as the three finalists competing for the record-breaking prize.
Here’s what you need to know about who won “Squid Game” and what happened.
Who won “Squid Game: The Challenge”?
The ultimate winner of “Squid Game: The Challenge” was Mai Whelan.
After a feast kicked off the finale, the top three players participated in a test of chance to decide which two would go into the last game. Though Mai was the first player to participate in the test, her selection didn’t result in an elimination or advancement. Sam was second to participate, and his selection led to elimination — leaving Mai and Phill to compete for the big prize.
The winner was decided with a game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” The winner of each round got to pick from a collection of keys: if the key didn’t work they played one more round until they unlocked a safe that gave them the big win. After countless rounds, Mai secured the prize.
Earlier in the game, Mai said that she planned to put the money toward her retirement home. She plans to donate the remaining winnings to charities and causes she cares about.
Who were the final three on “Squid Game: The Challenge”?
Episode 9 of the series ended with only three remaining players: Sam, Mai and Phill. But their path to the final three was anything but painless.
Sam, Mai and Phill were the final survivors of a game exclusive to “The Challenge” called Circle of Trust. The nine players who were eligible were all blindfolded and placed behind desks that were arranged in a circle around a table with a gift box on it. In a spin on “Heads Up, Seven Up,” guards walked around the players and strategically tapped the contestant who would be responsible for removing their blindfold and placing the box on another player’s desk. The player with the box would then have to guess who gave them the box. Guess correctly, and that player was eliminated. But if they guessed wrong, the player who had been cursed with the box would be sent home.
Phill proved to be the master of this particular game. Though a box was placed on his desk on two separate occasions, he was able to correctly guess who placed it both times, thereby eliminating No. 51 Rose and No. 278 Ashley. Whether by luck or his personality, Sam managed to avoid all aspects of this game. He was never selected to place the gift box on another player’s desk and never had the box placed on his desk. That left Mai.
Following her choice to nominate Ashley during the die game instead of herself, Mai entered Circle of Trust as the game’s most controversial figure. Yet she still managed to walk away from the challenge and into the top three. No. 355 Hallie believed that Mai had placed the gift box on her desk when in reality Phill was the one who did it. Ultimately, Hallie was eliminated.
The first season of “Squid Game: The Challenge” is available to stream on Netflix. The show has already been renewed for Season 2.
Lyn Lear briefly honored her late husband, TV icon Norman Lear, at the 2023 Sentinel Awards Wednesday night, one day after his death at age 101.
In a prewritten message read aloud by the Norman Lear Center program director Marty Kaplan, Lyn Lear expressed grace and admiration for her husband’s incredible life and legacy.
“I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society,” she said. “And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all … he would want us to laugh.”
The 2023 Sentinel Awards, presented by the Hollywood, Health & Society at the Norman Lear Center, continued to honor the work of the Center’s namesake founder throughout the evening with Emmy-winning producer, comedian and writer Larry Wilmore hosting at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills.
“Well you got to say this about Norman — the man knew how to make an exit. He knew his audience. And wanted us to make sure we were all listening,” Wilmore said Wednesday.
Wilmore later added: “A giant has left us and we’re going to do him proud. This evening meant a lot to Norman because he believed television can reflect our best. That’s why the Sentinel Awards were created — to honor television’s best and brightest writing.”
The Sentinel Awards have for over 20 years “recognized exemplary achievements in TV storylines that inform, educate and motivate viewers to make choices for healthier and safer lives,” according to its mission statement. Hollywood, Health & Society (HH&S), a program of the Norman Lear Center, present the awards annually. The Center was founded nearly 25 years ago and continues to focus on academic research on the social impact of media and entertainment.
Among the winners at this year’s Sentinel Awards were writers Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez for “Mrs. Davis,” Taffy Brodesser-Akner for “Fleishman Is in Trouble,” Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett for “Station 19” and Liz Tigelaar for “Tiny Beautiful Things.” For more information on the ceremony and the organization at large, visit hollywoodhealthandsociety.org.
This past September, O. were the first act to perform at the 10th-anniversary showcase of South London indie label Speedy Wunderground. While the label—which has released music from black midi, Squid, and Lewsberg—has grown far beyond its mission to be a quick-turnaround singles factory, O. are perhaps the most demonstrative showroom model for that expedient, plug ‘n’ play philosophy. Formed two years ago, the duo was already opening large theater concerts when they could still count their gigs on one hand. With their debut EP, O. make an even more convincing case for why you should have them kick off your show: For an often-abrasive instrumental band, they know how to start a party.
As the term “post-punk” has increasingly become shorthand for aggrieved shout-speak and stern-faced severity, O. reassert one of the genre’s original, oft-overlooked facets: Anti-pop experimentation can be a lot of fun. The four songs on Slice hit you with a delightfully disorienting array of sounds. At various points, you might think you’re hearing a hockey-rink buzzer, or a swarm of insects, or a doom-metal drone, or a squawking sea animal, or a police siren, or a brown-note synth frequency, or an incoming ocean liner, or a tectonic-plate shift. And that sonic spectrum is all the more impressive when you consider all those effects emanate from a single source: Joseph Henwood’s baritone saxophone, which, when filtered through Speedy figurehead Dan Carey’s production wizardry, is rendered equally boisterous and monstrous. Henwood’s sax attack is O.’s undeniable focal point, the novelty that would make an unsuspecting black midi fan heading toward the venue bar stop and wonder, “What the fuck is that!?!” before turning around and making a beeline for the stage. But drummer Tash Keary’s frenetic stickwork is the mortar that holds O.’s wall of sound together, ensuring a harmonious balance of improvisation and rock-solid composition.
On Slice, O. are already in the enviable position of possessing both a signature aesthetic and the confidence to stretch it out without worrying about losing their sense of identity. Where jazz instrumentation in a punk context often favors atonalskronk and splatter, O.’s brand of sax ‘n’ violence largely forsakes free-form anarchy for a more disciplined attack that rallies around muscular riffs and fleet-footed rhythms. Slice’s opening title track burrows a tunnel from The Mudd Club dancefloor to a Reading Festival mosh pit, with the song’s aggro-funk breakdowns and build-ups betraying the influence of Primus on the UK’s current post-punk pack. By contrast, on “Moon,” the duo wades into dubby waters without losing their sense of mischief—even as the beat slows and Henwood’s snark-charmer melodies start to ooze like molasses, Keary continues to ride her hi-hat and kick-pedal as if leading a disco band. Not surprisingly, the most mid-tempo tune, “Grouchy,” is the least interesting one of the bunch, its mutant-metal grind suggesting a pub-rock King Crimson. But the duo save their best for last with “ATM,” which affords them the extra space to deploy their full arsenal of effects for maximal drama. Over six white-knuckled minutes, the duo seesaws between ticking time-bomb tension and earthquaking eruptions, as if waging a war between their avant-garde inclinations and their irrepressible urge to just rock the fuck out. And from that chaotic collision, O. forge a sound as unmistakable as their name is unGoogleable.
Sheridan’s brand, Bosque Ranch, which launched a coffee brand earlier this year, is accusing Hauser’s own coffee brand, Free Rein, of copyright infringement, according to court records obtained by The Times. The lawsuit alleges Hauser’s “FR” logo looks “confusingly similar” to Sheridan’s “BR” branding.
The complaint, filed Nov. 21 in a federal courthouse in San Angelo, Texas, seeks a jury trial and any profit made by Free Rein Coffee as well as payment for any profit losses Bosque Ranch may have suffered. The suit also demands that Hauser’s company “destroy all products, marketing, and promotional materials” with the “FR” brand on it.
In 2004, Sheridan, who also acts in “Yellowstone” as cowboy Travis Wheatley, named his entertainment production company Bosque Ranch Productions, the lawsuit said. From there, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter used the name in his other business ventures, such as a company managing horses used in TV shows, an event managing company and his Bosque Ranch headquarters in Weatherford, Texas.
All of his ventures bear similar branding of his “BR” logo, in which the two letters overlap. The logo appeared in several “Yellowstone” scenes. Sheridan’s production company obtained a federal copyright for the branding in 2020, the suit said.
In June, Bosque Ranch launched a coffee brand, with Baton Rouge, La.-based Community Coffee, inspired by “the Cowboy way of life,” the court document said, referring to a June 21 news release. The brand leans into Sheridan’s history managing horses and popular Texas ranches. His “BR” logo is prominently stamped on the front of each bag of coffee beans.
Cole Hauser launched his Free Rein coffee brand in October.
(Jordan Strauss / Invision / Associated Press )
Months later, in October, Hauser announced the launch of his Free Rein Coffee Co., its products bearing an “FR” logo with overlapping lettering. A statement said Hauer’s brand was “born from the cowboy tradition.” The company’s website also said Hauser, who owned a horse ranch in Agoura Hills, drew inspiration from “the life of a working cowboy.” Around the same time, the suit alleges Hauser also applied for a federal copyright “despite Bosque Ranch’s clear prior use.”
“Neither Hauser nor the Defendants asked or received permission or authorization of Sheridan or Bosque Ranch to use a mark confusingly similar to the BR Brand for virtually identical goods,” the complaint said.
A legal representative for Hauser did not immediately respond to The Times’ request for comment.
The lawsuit between the “Yellowstone” collaborators arrives amid the hit Paramount+ show’s ongoing behind-the-scenes drama.
Since the fifth season of the blockbuster neo-western premiered in fall 2022, viewers were left to wonder about the future of the show. After reports that Paramount Network and one of the show’s central performers, Kevin Costner, were at odds over the direction of “Yellowstone,” Costner, Sheridan, Hauser and several other major cast members were no-shows for PaleyFest, the Paley Center for Media’s annual event in Los Angeles in April.
Then, in May, Paramount announced that the fifth season would be the flagship series’ last, with the final batch of episodes premiering later this year. But due to the actors’ strike, which ended last month after more than four months, the show delayed the release of its final batch of episodes for November 2024.
Costner confirmed this fall that he would not be returning for the show’s conclusion.
During a child support hearing in September, Costner revealed he left “Yellowstone” after he and the studios failed to strike a deal to ensure his continued commitment.
“I couldn’t help them anymore,” he said, according to People. “We tried to negotiate, they offered me less money than previous seasons, there were issues with the creative.” During the hearing, he also said he would “probably go to court” over his compensation for the second half of Season 5.
Sheridan spoke to the Hollywood Reporter in June about Costner’s exit and the challenges he faced bringing the series, and Costner’s character, John Dutton, to a close. He also weighed in on Costner’s next directing venture. The Oscar-winning “Dances With Wolves” filmmaker will direct and co-write a four-film series titled “Horizon,” which was at the center of his alleged tensions with Sheridan.
“His movie seems to be a great priority to him, and he wants to shift focus,” Sheridan told THR. “I sure hope [the movie is] worth it — and that it’s a good one.”
Times staff writer Emily St. Martin contributed to this report.
While a continuation of Kamala Khan’sDisney+ series remains unconfirmed, the MCU character seems to be a clear favorite across the board when it comes to the reception of The Marvels.
So far, the hero has gone up against the Clandestines, the Department of Damage Control, and Dar-Benn, making one wonder who will be next to go up against Kamala.
Iman Vellani Reveals Her Choice Ms. Marvel Season 2 Villain
Marvel
In an exclusive interview with Iman Vellani, The Direct spoke with The Marvels actress behind Kamala Khan about which villain she hopes could appear in a hypothetical Ms. Marvel Season 2.
When asked, Vellani was quick to suggest “Doc.X,” someone she feels would “really resonate with the Gen Z audience:
“Definitely Doc.X. I think that’s a great villain from the comics and can really resonate with the Gen Z audience. It would be so interesting—I don’t know, messing with kids’ psyche almost when you have this villain who only exists on your phone, and on your laptops, and on all your screens that we can’t avoid. I think it’d be really interesting position to put them all in to fight against something that you can’t even see, right? Yeah. Yeah, that’s one of my favorite comic storylines. So I would love to see that play out.”
In the comics, Doc.X is an artificial intelligence and sentient computer virus, which comes into contact with Kamala through her online gaming, and eventually goes on to blackmail Ms. Marvel into doing what it wants.
The last time viewers saw Ms. Marvel, she was on a Disney+ streaming show. Now the hero is headlining a blockbuster film—that’s quite a shift. What was that change like for Vellani?
“It didn’t feel that crazy of a transition,” admitted Vellani, though she was quick to appreciate the more constant production schedule of The Marvels:
“Honestly, it didn’t feel that crazy of a transition. I went from ‘Ms. Marvel.’ And only a couple of weeks later, I went to London to film the movie, I think, because the movie was like, we weren’t on location all the time, or at all, really. So it was nice to actually have more of a schedule.”
Vellani compared it to the more hectic time on Ms. Marvel, where they’d be “waking up at 5 a.m. and then 5 p.m. another day for night shoots:”
“Whereas on ‘Ms. Marvel’, we were waking up at 5 a.m. one day and then 5 p.m. another day for night shoots. And then we were in Thailand to film like two episodes. It was like the most hectic schedule ever. So it was nice to kind of like have a routine and be in London and on the studio.”
“And then I think the craziest part for the film was like the tech–We leveled up like crazy. I think we got to use the Volume, which was super cool. It really elevated the entire filmmaking experience for me. You know, it’s funny, like the most exciting scenes that you see in the movie are probably the most boring or like technical, embarrassing scenes that we’re filming in real life.”
She joked how doing some of those scenes “in front of a green screen” can feel “embarrassing” to film:
“You know, it’s like in front of a green screen and dead silence, then you’re like dangling from a harness with dots on your face in midair. And it’s just so embarrassing because you have to remind yourself, Oh, you’re saving the world–But don’t forget your blocking and don’t move too much because they’re gonna make the background move behind you. And, oh, what’s it like being on an alien planet? Like how much gravity?”
But with the Volume, Vellani explained that it adds “just a little bit of realism that you need to kind of fully immerse yourself into the fantasy:”
“So, there’s like, your mind is doing like multitasking cartwheeled. But with The Volume, it just adds that, slight like realism that–just a little bit of realism that you need to kind of fully immerse yourself into the fantasy of the world that they’ve created. So that was a very cool thing for me out of the film.”
There are many changes in Kamala Khan’s life in The Marvels, but one of those is how she gets a brand new superhero suit. But whatever happened to her original outfit, created by her mother?
Iman confirmed that “It’s safe,” and Kamala now “has two suits:”
“It’s safe. She changed at home. If you remember, she changed into that flannel look. After. So, why did she change? I don’t know. But she changed. So she can get a new suit. So now she has two suits. I think it’s good. We’re expanding the closet a little bit.”
Is Doc.X a Good Fit for Ms. Marvel Season 2?
It would be interesting to see how Marvel Studios could implement Doc.X, a tough computer virus and AI, in a unique way. While it does fit well for the Gen Z audience, as Iman Vellani points out, it would not be the first time an evil AI would show its face in the MCU.
Perhaps it could be some offshoot of Ultron. This would give fans some fun connective tissue and provide the AI with an established foundation to work with.
Another angle could be that it is an AI inspired by Ultron’s brief time in the world, and it’ll do anything it can to bring him back to reality.
Other potential picks for Season 2 villains could be the insane human/cockatiel hybrid that is The Inventor, Kaboom, Stormranger, and more. There is a Variant of Kang the Conqueror who has a history with Kamala Khan, so perhaps that storyline could be explored as well.
David Ayer is confident that his fabled cut of Suicide Squad will eventually be released, causing a stir among fans and revealing the mistreatment of the film and its actors.
Ayer believes that the issues with the DCEU franchise can be solved by allowing filmmakers to have creative control and not operating out of fear or chasing trends.
Warner Bros.’ attempts to catch up to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and focus on rapid growth have resulted in moderate hits and misses, causing problems for the DC extended universe.
David Ayer‘s fabled cut of 2016’s Suicide Squad has been the subject of discussions online for several years now. While Ayer has in the past said that the cut that has never been seen would change perceptions of the film, and put many other DCEU movies to shame, there has so far been no real movement towards it being released to the public. Despite that, Ayer remains confident that at some point the Ayer Cut will be made available, and believes it will cause a bit of a ruckus when it finally arrives. Speaking in a new interview with Total Film, Ayer said:
“I think so. I’m going to be hopeful. You know, there are a lot of people that are invested in certain narratives that don’t want it to see the light of day. So there’s an immense political headwind against it, because if that cut were made public, the cowardliness and the whole just general sh*ttiness of how the film’s been treated, and how the actors have had this great work that they’d done taken away… That narrative blows up once people see the movie. But it’s coming. Something’s going to happen. Something’s going to be revealed. The truth always comes out. It always comes out.”
The last two years have been a disaster for the outgoing DCEU franchise ahead of the “soft” reboot by James Gunn and Peter Safran coming in the next few years. What exactly went wrong is still a subject that is up for debate among fans, with given reasons ranging from a general lack of interest in a disjointed franchise to controversies of Henry Cavill’s Superman departure and Ezra Miller’s numerous arrests. However, Ayer has his own view on what is wrong with the franchise, and he previously shared his belief that it can be easily solved.
In the last few years, one of WBD’s biggest superhero successes has been The Batman, a complete abandonment of the usual tech-heavy, fantastical elements of the comic book hero’s on-screen appearances, which took him back to his detective roots in a dark and gritty grounded story. While not for everyone, The Batman proved more successful at the domestic box office than the likes of Batman vs Superman, and its domestic total of just over $360 million was more than the worldwide total of any DC released in the last year (and only $30 million short of Black Adam’s total gross.)
The main difference with The Batman is that the movie came from Matt Reeves’ vision, and seemed to be made without much studio interference. For Suicide Squad director David Ayer, this is how it should be for all DC movies, and he believes it would be a simple solution to the franchise’s woes. In a post on X, Ayer responded to a question by The Hollywood Reporter asking “Where have all the DC fans gone?”, to which he replied:
“Easy solve. Let film makers have their vision. Don’t operate from fear. Be daring. Look at what worked. Don’t chase the market. DC has always had the best characters in publishing. Dark intense and thoughtful is the brand.”
From an outside perspective, Warner Bros. DC extended universe has always been attempting to play catch-up in the shared superhero universe stakes, and possibly worrying too much about getting really big, really fast to notice that this was causing more problems than solving them. Zack Snyder’s original plan for the DC franchise was a short, sharp series of movies that would tell an interconnected story, but was never intended to have the scope or scale of Marvel’s behemoth.
In creating the “extended” universe, but at the same time losing Snyder, the following years have been littered with a series of moderate hits and many misses, both in terms of critical appraisal and box office success. Movies such as The Flash, which went through multiple directors/writers and made many changes due to the behind-the-scenes upheaval, have clearly suffered from outside influences, which as Ayer suggests, is not something that is ever going to end well. Whether the future franchise, under the guidance of Gunn and Safran can manage to deliver a more successful DCU is something that we are a few years away from finding out. Before that, however, Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom has the chance to redeem Warner Bros. DCEU finale in the next few weeks, but no one is holding their breath.
After years of speculation, Rockstar Games finally released the first Grand Theft Auto 6 trailer. The trailer, which was released after a leak saw a low-quality version of the trailer circulate on Twitter before release, confirms that the game will take place in Vice City, as has been speculated for some time.
As also confirmed by earlier leaks, the game will feature two protagonists, including a female protagonist, the first in series history.
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GTA 6 Trailer Song
The song playing in the GTA 6 trailer is Love Is A Long Road by Tom Petty.
Tom Petty has previously featured on the soundtracks of Grand Theft Auto games and is seemingly the first confirmed song on the game’s soundtrack.
Grand Theft Auto games are known for their variety of radio stations featuring hundreds of songs, and Grand Theft Auto 6 will be no different.
As we made abundantly clear earlier this week, the Film Independent Spirit Awards are—to coin a phrase—a safe space for comedy. From the early quips of a Buck Henry or Kevin Pollack to more recent outings by laughmongers ranging from A (Fred Armisen) to V (Melissa Villaseñor), only the funniest 1% of carbon-based lifeforms are permitted to direct awards show traffic from our proprietary beachfront dais.
This year is no exception, which is why we’re thrilled today to announce the host of the Spirit Awards, 2024 edition: the wonderful, hilarious Aidy Bryant! Yup—Lil’ Baby Aidy. Comedian. Showrunner. Writer. Actor. SNL alumna. National treasure. And now? Spirit Awards host. Welcome to the club, Aidy!
“We’re thrilled to have the incandescently talented Aidy Bryant joining us to host the 39th annual Spirit Awards,” says Film Independent President Josh Welsh. “Through her humor, skill and seemingly endless supply of energy, she’s been entertaining audiences for years. We can’t wait to see what she has in store for us.”
The 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards will return to the beaches of Santa Monica and will be streamed live on IMDb’s YouTube and across other social platforms, including Film Independent’s YouTube channel at 2:00 pm PT.
It will likely not shock you to hear that Bryant is a busy woman. With an overall deal at Universal Television to boast, the three-time Primetime Emmy nominee is currently in development on multiple projects, like the upcoming Peacock original, Lonely Hearts Club, produced—terrifyingly!—by Beau is Afraid’s Ari Aster. (Please Aidy, whatever you do, keep your head inside moving vehicles at all times!)
Luckily multitasking is nothing new for Bryant, who simultaneously starred “Live from New York!” on Saturday Night Live while also headlining her own Hulu original, Shrill, which she also co-created. Bryant wrapped up her decade-long run on SNL in 2022, while Shrill (which released its third and final season earlier this year) earned her an “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy” nom at the Emmys.
Bryant in ‘Shrill’
As far as who will be joining Bryant onstage on February 25 to potentially receive some frankly lethal Spirit Awards hardware, nominees for the 2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards will be announced on December 5 (that’s next Tuesday, for those keeping score) at 7:00 am PT at filmindependent.org and in a special video on our YouTube channel—go ahead and like and subscribe to become our new BFF.
But wait—the Spirit Awards aren’t just another self-congratulatory Hollywood awards show full of beautiful, privileged folks sobbing uncontrollably over tiny (and, we cannot stress this enough, extremely dangerous) bird statues. No! The Spirit Awards are also Film Independent’s primary fundraiser for its year-round slate of programs cultivating the careers of emerging filmmakers and promoting diversity and inclusion across the film industry. Programs like Project Involve. In fact, 2023 marks 30 years of Film Independent Artist Development, which we’ve been celebrating all year with #AD30.
Want to vote for the winners of the 2024 Spirit Awards? Easy: just Become a Membertoday and receive screeners, not to mention year-round access to a plethora of virtual and in-person screenings, special events, education, workshops and more.
So once again, welcome Aidy. We hope your time with the Spirit Awards will be nothing short of a dream come true.
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices by helping filmmakers create and advance new work. To become a Member of Film Independent, just click here. To support us with a donation, click here.
The 2023 Sentinel Awards were handed out tonight Awards at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, and winners included writers for such TV series as Grey’s Anatomy, Station 19, Superman & Lois, The Diplomat and Tiny Beautiful Things. See the full list below.
Presented by Hollywood, Health & Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center for more than two decades, the Sentinel Awards recognize writers for meaningful and accurate portrayals onscreen on such timely topics as abortion, systemic racism, climate change and mental health. Larry Wilmore hosted the ceremony.
“These writers and honorees this year have all made a commitment to telling stories that not only reach audiences, but make a significant impact far beyond the small screen,” said Hollywood, Health & Society program director Kate Folb. “It’s such an honor to bring these writers together after the strikes and celebrate their work.”
Here are the winners of the 2023 Sentinel Awards:
Depiction of Abortion Julie Wong, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC), “When I Get to the Border”
Depiction of A.I. Tara Hernandez & Damon Lindelof, Mrs. Davis (Peacock), “The Final Intercut: So I’m Your Horse”
Depiction of Breast Cancer Brent Fletcher & Todd Helbing, Superman & Lois (The CW), four-episode storyline
Depiction of Disabilities Matt Fleckenstein, Zach Anner, and Gillian Grassie, Best Foot Forward (Apple TV+), “Halloween”
Depiction of Climate Change Scott Z. Burns, Extrapolations (Apple TV+), ‘2046: Whale Fall”
Depiction of Diplomacy Debora Cahn and Anna Haden, The Diplomat (Netflix), “Some Lusty Tornado”
Depiction of Economic Disparities Chris Estrada, Matt Ingebretson, Pat Bishop, Jake Weisman, This Fool (Hulu), “Los Botes”
Depiction of End of Life Liz Tigelaar, Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu), “The Nose”
Depiction of Maternal Health Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman Is in Trouble (FX on Hulu), “Me-Time”
Depiction of Mental Health Adam Kay, This is Going to Hurt (AMC+) “Episode 6”, BBC
Depiction of Systemic Racism Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett, Station 19 (ABC), “We Build Then We Break”
Life really does imitate art. If you somehow don’t have the plot of Greta Gerwig’s summer smash hitBarbiealready committed to memory, here’s a little refresher: after Ryan Gosling’s himbo-esque Ken discovers the wonders of patriarchy in the real world, he and his fellow Kens stage a coup to take over Barbie Land and infuse it with more horses, viewings of the Snyder Cut, and general masculinity.
Don’t expect “Barbie 2: Plastic Boogaloo” or any other pun-based sequel from Margot Robbie
While Ryan Gosling delivers a performance for the ages (and the Billboard charts for that matter), one prevailing complaint about Barbie was that it simply had too much Ken for a movie supposedly about Barbie and her own journey. Unfortunately for that camp of fans, Barbie Land might suffer from even more Ken-ergy in the future.
In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, Gerwig and her partner and co-writer Noah Baumbach were talking about how much extra material they had written for Ken when Baumbach seemed to slip up a little. “Don’t give it away because we might do…” he says, before stuttering out an attempt at a course correction: “Yeah, but there was a whole… just more about the Ken effect in the real world.”
When the interviewer follows up by asking if there would ever be a Ken movie, the writers laugh and say they can’t comment. “The truth is, I guess we’ll see,” Gerwig continues, with a look to her partner by her side.
Even if this wasn’t actually a slip-up on Baumbach’s part, Gerwig’s answer is far more vague than it was the last time she was asked about a potential Barbie sequel. “I feel like that at the end of every movie, like I’ll never have another idea, and everything I’ve ever wanted to do, I did,” Gerwig told the New York Times back in July. “I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream, but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”
You can see if you think Gerwig and Baumbach are alluding to a spin-off below. In the meantime, we’re still patiently waiting for Gerwig to #ReleaseTheAllanCut.
In a sad bit of coincidence, the Hollywood, Health & Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center honored its 2023 Sentinel Awards winners on Wednesday night, just hours after the passing of its namesake and inspiration, the legendary Norman Lear.
Emmy-winning comedian and writer Larry Wilmore hosted the event and introduced this year’s 11 winners, including writers behind the series “Mrs. Davis,” “Fleishman is in Trouble” and “Tiny Beautiful Things.” But before the awards were handed out, Wilmore took a moment to pay tribute to Lear. And remarks from Lear’s wife, Lyn, were shared with the audience.
“Well you got to say this about Norman – the man knew how to make an exit,” Wilmore joked. “He knew his audience. And wanted us to make sure we were all listening.
“A giant has left us and we’re going to do him proud,” he added. “This evening meant a lot to Norman because he believed television can reflect our best. That’s why the Sentinel Awards were created – to honor television’s best and brightest writing.”
At the top of the 2023 Sentinel Awards, held at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, Norman Lear Center founding director Marty Kaplan read the statement from Lyn Lear. “I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman,” she said in the statement. “He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all… he would want us to laugh.”
Added Kaplan: “Norman’s shows moved our hearts and minds to embrace our common humanity and live up to what’s best in us. Doing that is why these winning writers are being honored.”
The Sentinel Award recognizes writers for their “meaningful and accurate portrayals onscreen that tackled timely and important topics including abortion, systemic racism, climate change, and mental health.”
“These writers and honorees this year have all made a commitment to telling stories that not only reach audiences, but make a significant impact far beyond the small screen,” said Hollywood, Health & Society program director Kate Folb. “It’s such an honor to bring these writers together after the strikes and celebrate their work.”
Speaking about Lear, Folb added: “They say never to meet your heroes because you might be disappointed. Not so when I met Norman. He was everything I imagined and so much more. I feel so blessed to have been a very small part of his massive universe.”
Presenters this year included Emmy-nominated actor and producer Kathryn Hahn, Emmy-winning producer/choreographer and actor Debbie Allen, Grammy-winning performer and actor Ben Harper, actor Adam Brody, comedian and actor Frankie Quiñones, and actors Logan Marmino, Jake McDorman, Michael McKean, Elizabeth Tulloch and Barrett Doss.
Here are the 2023 Sentinel Award Winners:
Depiction of Abortion: Julie Wong, “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC) – “When I Get to the Border”
Depiction of A.I.: Tara Hernandez and Damon Lindelof, “Mrs. Davis” (Peacock) – “The Final Intercut: So I’m Your Horse”
Depiction of Breast Cancer: Brent Fletcher and Todd Helbing, “Superman & Lois” (The CW) – multi-episode storyline (4 episodes)
Depiction of Disabilities: Matt Fleckenstein, Zach Anner and Gillian Grassie, “Best Foot Forward” (Apple TV+) – “Halloween”
Depiction of Climate Change: Scott Z. Burns, “Extrapolations” (Apple TV+) – “2046: Whale Fall”
Depiction of Diplomacy: Debora Cahn and Anna Haden, “The Diplomat” (Netflix) – “Some Lusty Tornado”
Depiction of Economic Disparities: Chris Estrada, Matt Ingebretson, Pat Bishop and Jake Weisman, “This Fool” (Hulu) – “Los Botes”
Depiction of End of Life: Liz Tigelaar, “Tiny Beautiful Things” (Hulu) – “The Nose”
Depiction of Maternal Health: Taffy Brodesser-Akner, “Fleishman is in Trouble” (FX/Hulu) – “Me-Time”
Depiction of Mental Health: Adam Kay, “This is Going to Hurt” (AMC+) — “Episode 6” BBC
Depiction of Systemic Racism: Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett, “Station 19” (ABC) – “We Build Then We Break”
There was very little “ho ho ho-ing” on the set of Disney+‘s The Santa Clauses, if one of the co-stars is be believed.
Casey Wilson, who appeared alongside Tim Allen for the pilot episode of the series, slammed him in a recent interview. She claims working with him was the “truly single worst experience I’ve ever had with a costar ever.”
“Tim Allen was such a b – – h,” she said. The Saturday Night Live star claimed she didn’t put Allen on the naughty list right away, saying she “buried this” information for more than a year since the series’ release. Why? A friend was a producer and her kids “loved the movies.”
The series was a continuation of Allen’s classic “Santa Clause” films. Wilson portrayed “Adult Sarah” in the series, the grown version of the girl who gave Santa soy milk in the first film.
“So I’m in a scene. It’s just me and Tim Allen and I’m supposed to throw things at him,” Wilson said. “I think he’s a burglar. So he’s coming down the chimney, obviously as Santa, and I am woken up thinking there’s an intruder, basically like a home invasion scene. So I’m throwing things at him.
“[He] goes over to the producer who is standing four feet from me and goes, and I hear him, he goes, ‘You gotta tell her to stop stepping on my lines.’ The producer turns to me with horror on his face and has to walk one foot to me and he goes, ‘Um, Tim would ask that you stop stepping on his lines.’”
That was just the start.
Wilson also alleged that Allen “was so f – – king rude” once he was done filming his scenes, and that “everybody was walking on eggshells” around him and “just looked frantic.”
“It’s the end, and Tim Allen goes, ‘Leaving!’ takes his Santa cape, picks it up and drops it on the floor and walks out,” Wilson said. “And they hustle in his stand-in. lovely man, who was much nicer to act against. People are scurrying to pick up his velvet Santa coat.”
She continued, “He’s a b – – h. And this is the best … I will not say who said this. This was someone that I do not know, perhaps in the crew. [He or she] breezes past me and just goes, ‘You’re seeing him on a good day.’”
Hollywood, Health and Society at the USC Annenberg Norman Lear Center toasted its 2023 Sentinel Awards winners on Wednesday at the Writers Guild Theater in Beverly Hills, where Lear’s life took center stage after his passing was announced earlier in the day at the age of 101.
Lear’s wife Lyn sent a statement to be read aloud to Sentinel attendees at the beginning of the show by founding director of the Norman Lear Center Marty Kaplan, as she wrote, “I would have been there tonight if not for the passing of our beloved Norman. He was so proud of the work of The Lear Center and Hollywood, Health and Society. And he would not have wanted all of us to mourn. He would want us to celebrate the important shows you are honoring tonight, and most of all, he would have want us to laugh.”
Larry Wilmore served as host of the evening, introducing 11 powerful storylines and the creative teams behind them, as he joked, “Well you got to say this about Norman — the man knew how to make an exit. He knew his audience and wanted us to make sure we were all listening.”
“A giant has left us and we’re going to do him proud,” Wilmore continued. “This evening meant a lot to Norman because he believed television can reflect our best. That’s why the Sentinel Awards were created — to honor television’s best and brightest writing.”
The event recognizes TV writers and showrunners for their meaningful and accurate portrayals of timely and important topics including abortion, systemic racism, climate change and mental health. Among the show’s winners were writers Damon Lindelof and Tara Hernandez (Mrs. Davis), Taffy Brodesser-Akner (Fleishman Is in Trouble), Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett (Station 19), and Liz Tigelaar (Tiny Beautiful Things).
Kathryn Hahn, Debbie Allen, Ben Harper, Adam Brody, Frankie Quiñones, Logan Marmino, Jake McDorman, Michael McKean, Elizabeth Tulloch, and Barrett Doss served as presenters for the evening. Hollywood, Health & Society has presented the Sentinel Awards for more than 20 years, and provides entertainment professionals with accurate and timely information for storylines dealing with health, safety and security through consultations and briefings with experts.
Full list of winners is below.
Depiction of Abortion: Julie Wong, Grey’s Anatomy (ABC) – “When I Get to the Border”
Depiction of A.I.: Tara Hernandez & Damon Lindelof, Mrs. Davis (Peacock) – “The Final Intercut: So I’m Your Horse”
Depiction of Breast Cancer: Brent Fletcher and Todd Helbing, Superman & Lois (The CW) – multi-episode storyline (four episodes)
Depiction of Disabilities: Matt Fleckenstein, Zach Anner, and Gillian Grassie, Best Foot Forward (AppleTV+) – “Halloween”
Depiction of Climate Change: Scott Z. Burns, Extrapolations (AppleTV+) – “2046: Whale Fall”
Depiction of Diplomacy: Debora Cahn and Anna Haden, The Diplomat (Netflix) – “Some Lusty Tornado”
Depiction of Economic Disparities: Chris Estrada, Matt Ingebretson, Pat Bishop, Jake Weisman, This Fool (Hulu) – “Los Botes”
Depiction of End of Life: Liz Tigelaar, Tiny Beautiful Things (Hulu) – “The Nose”
Depiction of Maternal Health: Taffy Brodesser-Akner, Fleishman is in Trouble (FX on Hulu) – “Me-Time”
Depiction of Mental Health: Adam Kay, This is Going to Hurt (AMC+) “Episode 6” – BBC
Depiction of Systemic Racism: Zoanne Clack and Zaiver Sinnett, Station 19 (ABC) – “We Build Then We Break”
At every stage of her career, from the fashion runway to the boardroom, Bethann Hardison has been a pioneer.
Her remarkable journey through the highest echelons of the fashion world is explored in Invisible Beauty, directed by Hardison herself and Frédéric Tcheng. The award-winning film played as part of Deadline’s virtual event series For the Love of Docs.
As Invisible Beauty documents, Hardison was among the first African Americans to model at high-end fashion shows, working closely with designer Willi Smith.
“What made me a great model was because as a child tap dancer, I loved the stage,” Hardison explained during a panel discussion after the screening. “I really just would perform. It would be more like I was acting. And I think that’s what was so great about the models back in the ‘70s. We all had our own personalities and we could do anything we wanted. And the designers really appreciated if we bought a lot of personality.”
Later, Hardison founded her own modeling agency, launching the careers of Tyson Beckford, Roshumba Williams, Veronica Webb, and Kimora Lee Simmons, among many others.
“I didn’t want to do it, I’ll be honest with you. That was not my desire,” Hardison said of starting her own agency. “But there were other people around me who kept telling me, ‘You have to do this’ and, ‘What else are you going to do?’ I wanted to go to Los Angeles and make movies or get into the music business. They’re saying, ‘No, what, are you crazy? You have to do it.’ So I was pushed to do it… And I really am grateful that I did it because I did it in such a way and such a style that it really made a great difference. And it was successful.”
Tcheng, who has made documentaries about Halston, Diana Vreeland, and the House of Dior, says Hardison’s contributions as a businesswoman in the modeling space were pivotal.
“It was certainly the first time that a Black woman was owning an agency that was catering to the top fashion designers in the industry,” Tcheng noted. “It had white models, it had Asian models, it had Black models, it had everything. So, Bethann really put the bar pretty high and wanted to service everyone. And she did… She had all the cool girls and boys and then those models would be snatched by bigger agencies because she was really discovering the new talent.”
She brought major change to the industry by forming the Black Girls Coalition with Iman, holding fashion houses and fashion magazines to account when they booked only white models, ignoring talented people of color. And through her mentorship, Beckford became extraordinarily successful as the face of Ralph Lauren’s menswear, a watershed moment for fashion. “With the agency,” Tcheng said, “she starts mothering the industry.”
Speaking of motherhood, Bethann is mom to actor Kadeem Hardison, who rose to fame as the star of TV’s A Different World. Their relationship, and its ups and downs, becomes a focus of part of the film.
“He’s like a cheerleader for the film,” Hardison said of her son. “At some point when he heard there was going to be a screening — another screening after we had opened [theatrically] – to sort of help more people see it, he called up so many friends of his that hadn’t heard from him so long that they all showed up… He loves the film. He’s so proud of it.”
Watch the full conversation in the video above.
For the Love of Docs is a virtual Deadline event series sponsored by National Geographic in partnership with the International Documentary Association (IDA). The series concludes next Tuesday with our screening of Kokomo City, directed by D. Smith.
“Tim Allen was such a bitch,” Wilson, 43, said on a recent episode of her “Bitch Sesh” podcast via Variety. “It was the truly single worst experience I’ve ever had with a costar ever.”
Wilson guest starred on the 2022 pilot episode of Disney+’s The Santa Clauses. The series, which is the continuation of The Santa Clause film trilogy, is currently in its second season. It follows Scott Calvin a.k.a. Santa Claus (Allen) as he navigates his next chapter in the North Pole after realizing that he needs to find a successor. Wilson, for her part, portrayed the adult version of 1994’s Sara, the little girl who gave Santa soy milk after he said he was lactose intolerant.
Some stars have taken on the ultimate challenge of spreading Christmas cheer by portraying the most iconic holiday figure — Santa Claus. While all actors find themselves donning a red suit and white beard in their roles as Santa, Billy Bob Thorton had the unique task of playing a naughty version in the 2003 film […]
While Wilson filmed her episode with Allen, 70, more than a year ago, she revealed on her podcast that she “buried” the story about her experience because she’s “great” friends with a producer on the series. The Happy Endings alum also noted that her children “loved the movies,” so she kept her alleged on-set issues under wraps.
Wilson proceeded to recount shooting a scene with Allen in which she was “supposed to throw things” at him because her character thinks he’s a burglar and not Santa coming down the chimney.
“So I’m throwing things at him. [He] goes over to the producer who is standing four feet from me and goes, and I hear him, he goes, ‘You gotta tell her to stop stepping on my lines,’” Wilson alleged. “The producer turns to me with horror on his face and has to walk one foot to me and he goes, ‘Um, Tim would ask that you stop stepping on his lines.’”
He put on the suit! Tim Allen brought Father Christmas to life in 1994’s The Santa Clause — and fans are still enchanted by his hilarious depiction of the iconic holiday figure. Scott Calvin (Allen) is thrown for a loop after Santa falls off his roof on Christmas Eve while he is watching his son, […]
The Physical actress remembered thinking that “everybody was walking on eggshells” when Allen was on set. In addition to allegedly being scolded for the line mishap, Wilson said when the Home Improvement alum was done, “he was so f–king rude” and allegedly “never made eye contact, never said anything.”
Wilson noted the whole situation was “so uncomfortable” but not uncommon, according to an alleged conversation she had with a crew member. “It’s the end [of the scene], and Tim Allen goes, ‘Leaving!’ [He] takes his Santa cape, picks it up and drops it on the floor and walks out,” Wilson recalled. “And they hustle in his stand-in; lovely man, who was much nicer to act against. People are scurrying to pick up his velvet Santa coat. He’s a bitch.”
Disney/James Clark
Once Allen exited the stage, Wilson claimed that “someone that I do not know, perhaps in the crew” commented on the situation. “[He or she] breezes past me and just goes, ‘You’re seeing him on a good day,’” she alleged.
While Allen has yet to comment on Wilson’s allegations, he previously revealed that he has had one major mess up while playing Scott Calvin/Santa. While filming Santa Clause 2 in 2002, Allen accidentally dropped an F-bomb.
“It was like cats. They wouldn’t leave me alone. I’m dressed like Santa Claus. I look like Santa Claus. We had a North Pole set,” he said of working with so many kids during a January 2021 appearance on TheKelly Clarkson Show, noting that after hours in the suit he grew “very angry” when two kids started to argue and delay the shoot.
Allen continued: “Fifteen takes later, the kids said one more word and I let out the loudest F-bomb. And I turned around, and there are 12 children who look like you had ripped their legs off. Their Santa has just screamed the F-bomb.”
Despite the awkward scene, Allen chose to reprise his role in the Disney+ series and the show soon became a family affair. His real-life daughter Elizabeth Allen-Dick plays his TV daughter, Sandra, which has been a gift for Allen.
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“It’s one of those moments that I’ll carry with me forever,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in December. “To see the professional that she’s turned into, [she] treats everybody well, shows up on time, does her job, works long hours, [with] no complaints.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Allen’s rep for comment.
Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif tied the knot in 2021.
Koffee With Karan Season 8: Vicky Kaushal reveals that he met Katrina Kaif’s siblings and mother for the first time just a week before their wedding.
After keeping their relationship hush hush for a couple of years, Vicky Kaushal and Katrina Kaif tied the knot in an intimate but lavish ceremony at Six Senses Fort Barwara, Rajasthan on December 9, 2021. It was the much-talked about Koffee ‘manifestation couch’ where Katrina named Vicky as the one actor she was looking forward to working with the most and the rest, as we know, is history. While the audience is yet to watch the lovebirds in a film together, their PDA on social media and pictures of them spotted hand-in-hand at red carpets continue to dish out major couple goals.
And now, for the first time ever, Vicky spilled the beans on how he proposed to Katrina ahead of their big day in Rajasthan in the recently released episode of Koffee With Karan 8, where he appeared along with his Lust Stories and Govinda Naam Mera co-star Kiara Advani. When prodded by Karan Johar, Vicky blushed and revealed how their busy schedules became a hindrance for him to plan an elaborate proposal for his lady love.
He went to share that he finally managed to propose her by going down on his knees a night before their wedding in their hotel before their friends and families arrived.
“It was very last minute. I had been warned by everybody that if you don’t propose, it’s something you’ll have to be prepared for for the rest of your life that you got to hear about it. I did that one day before the wedding It was dinner just before any of the friends and families could come,” the actor said.
Vicky also said that he met Katrina’s siblings and mother for the first time just a week before the wedding when they flew down to Mumbai. Known for his moves, Vicky told Karan that he used his dancing talent to impress her family. In his words, he ‘broke the ice’ by grooving to Tip Tip Barsa Paani, which warmed them up to him.
Further, when Karan asked him about the three ways in which Katrina Kaif refers to him, Vicky replied, ‘Booboo, baby and aey!’ This made both Karan and Kiara burst out into peals of laughter.
Prior to Vicky’s big revelation, Kiara also shed light on how Sidharth Malhotra proposed to her during a vacation in Rome where Sidharth’s parents also accompanied them. Kiara revealed that she had an ‘inkling’ that her Shershaah co-star would propose to her during the trip but was pleasantly surprised when he popped the question in their first destination itself. Being a true-blue old-school romantic, Sidharth went down on his knees during a candle-light dinner at a Michelin star restaurant with violins playing in the backdrop.
Sonil Dedhia, Chief Sub-Editor, at News18.com, covers all things entertainment and Bollywood. He writes about movies, celebrities, and news updates su…Read More
The first image that the word ‘Bollywood’ conjures up is one of song and dance. And Netflix’s “The Archies” promises to be a prime example of that.
“The Archies” is a 1960s-set feature film adaptation of the Archie comics, which are hugely popular on the Indian subcontinent. The musical drama is directed by Zoya Akhtar and produced by Akhtar and Reema Kagti (“Dahaad”) for Tiger Baby and Sharad Devarajan for Graphic India. It is written by Kagti, Akhtar and Ayesha DeVitre (“Kapoor & Sons”).
Young actors Mihir Ahuja, Dot, Yuvraj Menda and Vedang Raina feature in the film’s cast. The offspring of Bollywood royalty are debuting in the film, including Khushi Kapoor, the daughter of the late actor Sridevi and producer Boney Kapoor and sister of Janhvi Kapoor; superstar Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan; and Agastya Nanda, the grandson of revered actors Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan.
The music by Ankur Tewari and the Islanders and the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio is on the Sony Music India label.
Songs are a crucial part of most Bollywood films and play a key role in their promotion, whether its a theatrical release or a direct-to-digital premiere like “The Archies.”
“Its a coming-of-age musical, a beautiful story of love, friendship, heartbreak, all nicely interwoven with some great music,” Vinit Thakkar MD of Sony Music India, told Variety. “We have 16 tracks. The whole story is beautifully expressed through music and spoken words.”
“But I think even for other films, music is intrinsic to culture and the fabric of the [Indian] society. Music takes the conversation or the story forward from one point to the other even today in a lot of films. So, it is integral to help to build on the narrative and the story,” Thakkar added.
Sony’s promotions for the film include an Archies-themed roller disco event in London and a music launch in India where the 1960s as seen in the film was recreated and served as the backdrop of a concert featuring the musical talent from the soundtrack.
Thakkar is confident that “The Archies” soundtrack will resonate beyond India and the diaspora. “One of the wonderful things that you see over the last two or three years is that great content has become deeply language agnostic. Whether it’s content coming from outside of the world into India, which is not necessarily in Indian languages, or even English, has become so popular in this part of the world, we see this over and over with music as well, where different language music has broken across the globe,” Thakkar said.
“We feel that the narrative of the film, the way Zoya has made the movie and the way the music is entrenched in it, and of course, with the distribution across the globe, we as a team are fairly confident that this will appeal to a lot of audiences,” Thakkar added.
