Judge Greg Mathis got into it with some Los Angeles City employees … but there are drastically different stories from each side as to just how intense things escalated.
Law enforcement sources tell us an employee from the L.A. Dept. of Water and Power made a report Tuesday accusing Mathis of threatening workers with a gun after a heated confrontation. According to the employee, Mathis got pissed after they asked him to move his vehicle — words were exchanged — and things escalated to the point of Mathis allegedly flashing and pointing his gun at the workers.
However, we spoke to Mathis, who has a much different story. Mathis tells us the employees were actually blocking his vehicle in, and he was unable to pull out of his driveway.
Mathis says one of the employees got smart with him when he stood in the street, saying if he didn’t move, he’d get run over by their work truck. Mathis took that as a threat, and tells us he informed he had a weapon — though he says he NEVER showed the gun, let alone pointed it at anyone.
TMZ.com
Eventually, both sides cooled off … and the LADWP employees continued on with their work further down the street.
Clearly, the employees were upset by the interaction, as they took the allegations to cops. We’re told the LAPD took a brandishing report, and the case is officially under investigation.
“With this film, it was important for me that everything operated on at least two levels,” Greta said. “I knew I wanted to end on a mic drop kind of joke, but I also find it very emotional. When I was a teenage girl, I remember growing up and being embarrassed about my body, and just feeling ashamed in a way that I couldn’t even describe. It felt like everything had to be hidden.”
“And then to see Margot as Barbie, with this big old smile on her face, saying what she says at the end with such happiness and joy,” she added. “I was like, if I can give girls that feeling of, ‘Barbie does it, too’ — that’s both funny and emotional. There are so many things like that throughout the movie. It was always about looking for the levity and the heart.”
Our MickeyBlogger Ed is at Disney’s Hollywood Studios this morning and popped into Keystone Clothiers where an impressive array of Avengers apparel has just dropped! This collection is epic so superhero fans will definitely want to make a pitstop here during your Walt Disney World visit.
First up is this long sleeve Avenger t-shirt.
The front of the beige shirt features the Avengers logo.
Underneath, the Avengers logo, you’ll notice the tagline “Become a Legend…Whatever It Takes.”
The bottom of the shirt also features a small Avengers logo.
The shirt retails for $44.99 and again we found it at Keystone Clothiers.
Next up is a blue Avengers baseball cap.
The baseball features a sketchbook design with lots of iconic Marvel images.
You’ll notice Captain America’s shield, Iron Man’s helmet, Thor’s hammer, and more!
The baseball cap also features a red patch with the Avengers logo.
The baseball cap retails for $29.99.
Fans of Captain America are sure to love this hooded sweatshirt.
The front of the shirt has a large Captain America-inspired design featuring the iconic shield, helmet, and more!
The artwork is done in a sketchbook style. The sweatshirt also features a large front pock with a vintage-style Avengers logo.
One of the sleeves of the sweatshirt features the same retro Avengers logo.
As you can see, the text is celebrating Marvel’s 60th Anniversary.
The hooded sweatshirt retails for $69.99.
You can stay cool this summer with this Avengers button-down.
Instead of a Hawaiian print, you get sketchbook-style images of your favorite Marvel superheroes.
In the print, you’ll notice Iron Man, Hulk, Thor, and more!
The collared shirt features short sleeves and copper-colored buttons.
We love the dark red hue of this next Avengers t-shirt.
The t-shirt features contrasting stitching.
It has a weathered look with the Avengers logo and sketchbook artwork taking center stage.
The Avengers t-shirt retails for $34.99.
I’ve got my eye on this cropped Avengers sweatshirt.
The white and blue sweatshirt features a grid-style design.
At the center of the cropped hoodie is a sketchbook-style Avengers logo. The arms and side panels of the sweatshirt feature artwork featuring many of Marvel’s most epic superheroes.
The sweatshirt features navy cuffs and hood.
The cropped hoodie sweatshirt retails for $69.99.
Also in the Avenger’s Collection at the Keystone Clothiers is this women’s scoop-neck t-shirt.
The beige sweatshirt features a mesh design at the top panel along with the Avengers logo.
The bottom of the sweatshirt features a text that reads “Invincible: Find Your Power.”
The sweatshirt retails for $59.99.
Rounding out the collection is this grey Avengers baseball cap.
The hat features the Avengers logo on the front.
The sides of the hat features a sequins design.
The adjustable strap on the back of the hat features text that reads “Whatever it Takes.”
The hat retails for $29.99.
Again we found the new Avengers apparel collection at Keystone Clothiers at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Readers are encouraged to keep following along with MickeyBlog for further Walt Disney World news and updates. We’ll be coming to you LIVE! from the theme parks each and every week.
Photo: MickeyTravels
Have you heard the news? MickeyTravels just earned the incredible distinction of being a Diamond Earmarked Agency!
Whether it’s a visit to the theme parks, a Disney cruise, a stay at Aulani in Hawaii, or the trip of a lifetime with Adventures by Disney, I can’t wait to help you plan your vacation utilizing all of our incredible concierge-level services. This injdjdjdcludes discount monitoring, itinerary planning, flexible booking, and more. Best of all my services are 100% FREE!
After a dismal run at the box office, The Flash just suffered another major defeat after being passed by the controversial Sound of Freedom.
The DCU’s latest super-powered blockbuster has not fared well since its release, serving as yet another example of a big-budget underperformer at the ticket window here in 2023.
While movies like Flash, Mission Impossible 7, and Indiana Jones 5have underdelivered, one film has shocked box office experts this summer, that being Sound of Freedom.
The Angel Studios-distributed faith-based thriller has become somewhat of a box-office hit despite its relatively low budget and subject matter that one could define as niche for general theater-going audiences.
The Flash Takes Another Box Office L
Angel Studios
Coming off of the weekend of July 21-23, DC’s The Flash took yet another major blow at the box office after being passed by Sound of Freedom, a controversial faith-based film from Angel Studios.
Much has been made about The Flash‘s box office failings, so this major defeat is just salt in the wound for Warner Bros.
Sound of Freedom‘s domestic box office total now sits at $124 million, which is $13.5 million more than The Flash‘s ($107.5 million).
This comes as The Flash has been deemed one the worst box office flops in moviemaking history. The film came into theaters with a gargantuan $220 million budget (that total doesn’t even consider the reported $100 million promotional spend from the studio on the film).
The Flash has made an international haul that dwarfs Sound of Freedom‘s ($267 million for The Flash and $124 million for Sound of Freedom), but Warner Bros. is likely to lose upwards of $300 million on the film when all is said and done.
This is in stark contrast to Sound of Freedom, which entered theaters on a meager $14.5 million budget. This means Angel Studios will profit greatly from the film, especially as it seems to be picking up momentum and still has people headed to the theater to see it.
The Flash vs Sound of Freedom: A Tale of Two Summers
It is interesting to look at both The Flash and Sound of Freedom comparatively, as the two films sort of serve as the two headlines of the summer blockbuster season.
While one has floundered, the other has thrived, both possibly going against the expectations that were set forth before them.
The Flash comes in a string of DC disappointments at the box office (Black Adam and Shazam 2). It seems that with the looming DC reboot on the horizon, fans are over this current continuity, and fewer of them are headed to the multiplex to take what DC’s latest has to offer.
Meanwhile Sound of Freedom has burst through projections experts may have had for the movie coming into its theatrical debut.
In lieu of the controversy surrounding the film and its subject matter, it has activated a community that seemingly was not going to the movie theater like maybe they once did.
This, and the word of mouth amongst that community, has created momentum for the film that – at least stateside – has caused it to defy the odds and do big numbers at the ticket window.
Both The Flash and Sound of Freedom are playing in theaters now.
Twitter’s rebrand to X is well underway. The name and iconic bird logo have been stripped from the company’s San Francisco headquarters, and an “X” has replaced the blue bird atop twitter.com. Elon Musk has said the change is about more than just the name. He wants to turn the service formerly known as Twitter into an that also encompasses and financial services.
But the rebrand could pose significant legal and financial challenges to the company, which has struggled since an advertiser exodus cut the company’s ad revenue by more than 50 percent. To start, there are hundreds of companies, including Microsoft and Meta, that own trademarks for variations of “X.” That could open the door to lawsuits and other legal headaches for Musk.
Shubha Ghosh, a law professor at Syracuse University, says that lawsuits are “quite common” when major companies rebrand and change their names and logos. “I’m kind of surprised he picked X because it’s not that distinctive,” he says. “It’s problematic in the sense that it’s not something you can just suddenly do without anybody noticing and possibly suing.”
Trademark attorney Josh Gerben that he counted almost 900 other companies with trademarks on “X.” And while not all of them will be able to credibly claim that the company formerly known as Twitter is interfering with their brand, it makes X an easy target.
“There is about a 100% probability that Twitter/X will be sued by both opportunistic and legitimate plaintiffs over the new name,” Gerben . “The company could easily spend tens of millions (if not $100+ million) in legal fees and settlement costs attempting to acquire trademark registrations for ‘X’ and in dealing with the litigation that is likely to result from the rebrand.”
For the same reasons, Twitter’s new X branding could also prove difficult to defend, especially internationally. “The chance that @elonmusk will be able to successfully register a trademark for ‘X’ for all the services he intends to provide, in every country he wants to provide them in, is very low,” Gerben wrote.
Even if Twitter is able to fend off legal challenges, there are serious business risks to doing away with a brand as globally recognizable as Twitter’s. Bloomberg that some analysts have estimated the name change could wipe out billions of dollars in value from a brand that’s already been damaged by Musk.
Ari Lightman, a professor of digital media marketing at Carnegie Mellon University, says Twitter’s problems go far beyond potential legal headaches brought on by its rebrand. “There’s a lot going on that is diminishing the value, the utility, the uniqueness, that Twitter, now X, has in the space,” he says pointing to the rise of Threads and other Twitter competitors. “Tweets are synonymous with this idea of blogging, or microblogging, it’s going to be very difficult to resocialize a concept with the global population.”
Warner Bros Discovery has announced the first ever localized version of the Tom And Jerry series, featuring the famous cat and mouse duo as they take their rivalry to Singapore.
Produced locally in Asia, in association with Warner Bros Animation, the new 7×3-minute series will premiere on Cartoon Network in Asia Pacific and HBO Go in Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong later this year, before being rolled out internationally.
A pilot episode giving a flavour of what’s to come will launch in August – further details will be announced soon. Watch a teaser video here.
The project is produced by Warner Bros Discovery’s Carlene Tan, with Vivek Bolar serving as lead director. India’s Aum Animation Studios handled the animation, with stories and designs from Singapore-based Robot Playground Media and Chips and Toon Studios.
Christopher Ho, Warner Bros Discovery’s Head of Kids, Southeast Asia, said: “This series brings back the iconic music and classic animation style from the Hanna-Barbera 1950s era – but with a modern Singaporean twist.
“With distinctive landmarks, backdrops and atmosphere, the Asian city-state is the ideal location to create a humorous addition to the Tom And Jerry canon. Working with homegrown creative talent in Singapore and across Asia, this project grows the much-loved franchise in the region and beyond.”
Vishnu Athreya, Senior Vice President of Series, Warner Bros Animation and Cartoon Network Studios, said: “Tom And Jerry are two of our most universally loved characters, proving that laughs can translate to any audience. The fans in Asia have long embraced these characters and it’s great to finally give them a version to call their own.”
Tom And Jerry is one of Warner Bros Discovery’s leading franchises with a global social reach of 50 million and almost 30 billion minutes watched on the Warner Bros Kids YouTube channel. There have been more than 500 episodes, 15 movies and seven Academy Awards so far in its 83-year history.
Warner Bros Discovery also plans to launch additional Tom And Jerry-branded consumer products to complement the series launch later this year.
The premise of Vicky Wight’s Happiness for Beginners sounds like a promising invitation to indulge in an offbeat romantic comedy. It’s a Netflix offering with Hallmark Channel roots: A 30something woman embarks on a journey through the woods to recover from her divorce. What will she find on her sojourn? A renewed sense of hope? Confidence? Romance?
If we stick to the rules of the genre, our heroine Helen (Ellie Kemper) will have it all. Peace lies in the towering trees of upstate New York, where her wilderness survival course takes place. Hope looks like the bonds she makes with her fellow campers. Love takes the shape of a familiar face who helps her remember a past self. In exchange for our attention, we will be rewarded with a couple worth rooting for and learn some truths about life. We might even consider checking out Katherine Center’s novel, on which the film is based.
Happiness for Beginners
The Bottom Line
Too stilted to be sweet.
Release date: Thursday, July 27 Cast: Ellie Kemper, Luke Grimes, Nico Santos, Blythe Danner, Benjamin Cook Director: Vicky Wight Screenwriters: Vicky Wight, Katherine Center (based on the novel by)
1 hour 44 minutes
But Happiness for Beginners doesn’t play by the rules. It tries to stretch the boundaries of the romantic comedy, contorting itself into a sitcom of the Community type and a drama of the Eat Pray Love variety. It doesn’t give either of these genres enough attention, though, so the resulting film ends up feeling stilted and uneven. The woman at its center remains opaque, her romance is listless and her journey to self-discovery becomes an endurance test.
Helen, played with an endearing self-protectiveness by Kemper, wants to reset her life. Divorcing Mike (Aaron Roman Weiner), to whom she was married for five years, has unmoored Helen from herself. A house party is an awkward place to consider the flaws of your marriage or reflect on the hopes for your hiking trip, but that doesn’t stop Helen, whom we meet sitting at the center of a rager. She’s waiting for her brother Duncan (Alexander Koch) and trying to hear her own thoughts over the loud music.
Just as she’s about to give up, she’s interrupted by her brother’s best friend Jake (Yellowstone‘s Luke Grimes), who asks about her well-being and invites her to stay for another drink. Helen refuses. She’s going on a hike tomorrow, she tells him, and she’s just here to give Duncan, who promised to housesit, the keys to her place. Jake responds with a cutting — what some might call rude — observation: “I remember you used to be so much fun.”
Who Helen used to be haunts Happiness for Beginners, and the screenplay, written by Wight, would have benefitted from fleshing this out. Helen sees Jake at the introductory meeting for the wilderness course the next day, though the film never resolves why he’s there. She scolds him for his presence and commands him to pretend he doesn’t know her. Helen wants to use this trip to become a different person, to step into roles other than the dutiful ones she’s been assigned in her life. Her determination to change only activates our curiosity about past versions of herself. Who is this schoolteacher caught between responsibility to herself and to everyone around her?
Instead of burrowing into Helen’s character and using it to anchor the disparate narrative threads, Happiness for Beginners splits its attention and tries to be too much at once. Once Helen, Jake and the rest of their crew set off on the trail, the film transforms into a pseudo-office-sitcom. Wight’s screenplay details the daily happenings of their nearly two-week hike, giving us a sense of the skills required to commune with nature. Appropriate attention is paid to the varying archetypes — the neurotic troop leader (Ben Cook), the gay best friend (Nico Santos), the perpetual optimist (Shayvawn Webster), the finance bro (Esteban Benito), the underestimated airhead (Gus Birney) and the outspoken camper (Julia Shiplett) — and the roles they play in helping to keep the troupe alive. Montages of the hikers trekking through the woods or laughing around a campfire add a sweet depth to the film.
But these brief explorations often come at the expense of developing Helen’s storyline, which never stops feeling jagged. Her relationship with Jake, whom she begins to see as more than just her younger brother’s friend, is littered with too many false starts and stops to make it worth the emotional investment. And their courtship — an awkward dance we’ve seen before — comes off stiffer and more courteous than necessary. As the two go from pretending to be strangers to acknowledging their shared history, the relationship doesn’t gain the life force it should. Hanging in the air, still, is the question of who Helen used to be and, additionally, who she wants to be now.
This is where the Eat, Pray, Love of it all comes in. Helen announces at the beginning of the trip, when the hikers share their reasons for embarking on this 30-mile journey with one another, that she’d like to stop breaking promises to herself. It’s a moment that sets the film up to dabble in more spiritual angles. And it does, sort of. Kemper’s Helen doesn’t indulge in the same self-discovery talk as Julia Roberts’ Liz Gilbert, but Happiness for Beginners finds other ways for its heroine to grow. It’s among the coniferous trees, fields of variegated shrubs and cliffs overlooking the glittering rivers that Helen stops trying to save her past selves and embraces the mystery and freedom of her future.
It’s not enough to redeem Happiness for Beginners, but it gives us a sense of what, with a little more focus, the film could have been.
Is there anything Margot Robbie can’t do? The super-versatile actor has played everything from a supervillain (though Harley Quinn is really more complex than that) to the most famous doll of all time, and fans have just discovered another of her talents: sign language skills!
Thanks to Robbie starring in the biggest blockbuster of the summer, a video from a premiere event for Amsterdam (so, fall 2022) is currently going viral on The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter. In the clip, she signs autographs for fans at a barricade, and one seems to get her attention with a gesture. You can see her say “I know it!” before she hands her pen and paper to her handlers and signs a few phrases to the man, like “Nice to meet you.” Commenters have noted that this is not American Sign Language but might be British or Australian. Then they take a picture together.
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
For once, the reactions online seem to be entirely positive, with many calling out how sweet and surprising the interaction is (to our recollection, Robbie’s never talked about knowing how to sign!), and also how annoying the person calling her name off-camera is.
In another angle on the interaction, you can see the fan hand Robbie what looks like a cheat sheet of signs before she makes her way through the alphabet. Not exactly fluent, but she can have a convo!
Twitter content
This content can also be viewed on the site it originates from.
So if you listened to yesterday’s Daily Roundup, you heard that I took my niece to see the Barbie movie. I think maybe my thoughts on it came across a little harsh. I didn’t hate it by any means. I didn’t even dislike it. I just thought it was a little corny and weird and bizarre. However, I also acknowledge, not being someone who played with dolls growing up, not being female, and not having a daughter, also played a role in my thoughts on the movie. It didn’t hit me that I think it will hit some people who fit into any of those three categories. Because before it was released this weekend, the plot details hadn’t really leaked out. Nobody knew what the hell to expect. And to draw a $155 million this weekend and get rave reviews like it did, clearly it did something right. And I see that side of it, but moreso, if you’re female or you owned a Barbie growing up. It really does have a good message behind it, and no, it’s nothing political as some are making it out to be. It’s an enjoyable 90 minutes or so with colorful scenes, some good music/dance numbers, funny lines, and overall positive message. If you have a daughter, I’d absolutely take her to see it.
You can listen to today’s podcast on a number of platforms, but you can also tune in by clicking the player below:
So this episode finally confirmed how the whole breakdown went with the New Orleans date. My screwup was assuming the date I was told happened between Joey and Dotun’s was a 1-on-1. I knew there was a date there, I knew it was a Bayou date, and I knew there was a group date with no rose ceremony this episode. Because they’d always done three 1-on-1’s and a 3 person group date before hometowns on the Bachelorette pre-pandemic, and I figured this was the same once I found out there four dates in New Orleans. Hell, I think even if I knew there was a 2-on-1, I wouldn’t have put Sean and Tanner on it just because that was a first with both staying, yet not being given a rose. I would’ve assumed one of them was on it, and the other was Xavier or Aaron, with that guy getting the rose. I can live with that mistake. At least I knew I wasn’t going crazy with the Bayou date, a group date, and no rose ceremony and proud that info wasn’t wrong.
If you’re reading this, it might be too late since it was first mentioned in my podcast a couple hrs ago when it went up, but, a reader is selling her Taylor Swift tickets and wants my help. They are for next Thursday’s show at Sofi Stadium in LA. Tickets are in Section 543, Row 8, Seats 14-15. They are selling them at face value – $1300 each, so $2600 total. It would be a straight Ticketmaster transfer after you pay them. I have verified the tickets, this person was at my party this year so it’s not a complete stranger. I know the price seems high for top level seats, but go on Stub Hub or Ticketmaster now and look at top level seating right now. This is the cheapest that’s out there. She paid more than $1300 for them total (another screen shot she sent me), but is fine with eating the taxes and fees she paid on top of these, she just needs to sell them due to something that came up and now she can’t attend. Email me at steve@realitysteve.com only if you’re seriously interested. I’ll put you in touch with her and take it from there. It’s first come, first serve.
Screen time breakdown for episode 5 is as follows. I guess it makes sense that Sean got the most time considering how much he was freaking out about not getting time. Funny how that works:
Amid the storm of criticism over Jason Aldean’s song “Try That in a Small Town,” it appears the music video to the controversial track has been quietly edited to remove some of the racially incendiary imagery.
On Tuesday, the Washington Post reported that the video for “Try That in a Small Town” currently featured on YouTube was now six seconds shorter than the version uploaded on July 14. The Post reports that a news clip from Fox 5 Atlanta about the Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020 has been removed, although it is unclear when the changes were made.
The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to Aldean’s reps for comment on the edits to the music video.
Aldean has faced widespread condemnation for both the lyrics to “Try That in a Small Town” and the accompanying music video, with critics lambasting the song for promoting gun violence and taking direct aim at the Black Lives Matter movement with some commentators suggesting that the song and video were pro-lynching with its coded references.
Notably in the video Aldean and his band perform in front of the Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee which was the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate.
On July 18, following a barrage of criticism on social media, Country Music Television pulled Aldean’s song from its rotation. The following day, the singer responded on Twitter, denying the song had racial elements to it, coded or otherwise. “In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song … and was subject to the comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests. These references are not only meritless, but dangerous,” he wrote.
Aldean added, “There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it- and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage — and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music — this one goes too far.”
The controversy has been a boon for the song, with both sales and streams for “Try That in a Small Town” experiencing a huge spike. Music data company Luminate says the song’s on-demand audio and video streams have increased by 999 percent — from 987,000 to 11.7 million — in the week after the controversy about the song exploded online. Sales for the song are up as well: For the week before the controversy, the track only sold 1,000 units; last week it sold 228,000 units, according to Luminate.
Jason Aldean’s controversial “Try That in a Small Town” music video was seemingly edited to remove imagery of a Black Lives Matter protest after the clip received backlash, with critics claiming that the video contained racist, pro-gun and pro-lynching messaging.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
According to The Washington Post, the video is now six seconds shorter than when it was originally shared on July 14. There is no longer a clip from Fox 5 Atlanta depicting violent interactions during Black Lives Matter demonstrations in 2020.
Billboard has reached out to Aldean’s team for more information.
Last week, the country singer responded to recent claims that “Try That in a Small Town” is a “modern lynching song.” The song challenges those who “pull a gun on the owner of a liquor store” or “cuss out a cop” to, as the title suggests, try those actions in a small town and “see how far ya make it down the road.” The song’s video features footage of an American flag burning, protesters having confrontations with police, looters breaking a display case and thieves robbing a convenience store.
“In the past 24 hours I have been accused of releasing a pro-lynching song (a song that has been out since May) and was subject to a comparison that I (direct quote) was not too pleased with the nationwide BLM protests,” Jason wrote in his statement. “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous. There is not a single lyric in the song that references race or points to it and there isn’t a single video clip that isn’t real news footage- and while I can try and respect others to have their own interpretation of a song with music- this one goes too far.”
He later addressed the controversy during his Ohio concert on Friday (July 21). “It’s been a long week and I’ve seen a lot of stuff suggesting I’m this, suggesting I’m that,” Aldean told the crowd in a fan-captured video. “I feel like everybody’s entitled to their opinion. You can think something all you want to, it doesn’t mean it’s true.”
He added, “What I am is a proud American. I’m proud to be from here. I love our country. I want to see it restored to what it once was before all this bulls— started happening to us. I love my country, I love my family, and I will do anything to protect that, I can tell you that right now.”
CMT has since pulled the video from its rotation after running it for three days, while Aldean’s wife, Brittany Aldean, came to his defense. On the other hand, stars like Sheryl Crow and Margo Price have spoken out against Jason Aldean’s choice to perform and release the song.
Is it possible to be a benevolent and good cult leader? Directors Patrick Moreau and Grant Peelle profile one such man in their documentary, The Highest of Stakes. Described by his followers as “God,” this “diety” is Richard Heart, the founder of HEX coin. You may not know HEX coin, as the media refuses to cover it, and any Reddit posts and comments are immediately removed from the threads.
Heart’s prominence in the crypto-sphere began at the beginning of this new financial market. Making numerous appearances on the top business cable channels, he staked himself as a knowledgeable resource, charismatic speaker, and ultimately a financial soothsayer by predicting the sharp rise and fall of Bitcoin (and other crypto) prices over the years. Heart amassed such a fan base that he devised HEX coin at the starting price of 57 cents on December 2, 2019. Today, the HEX coin value has multiplied by 10,000 percent. The structure and success rely solely on followers (known as HEXicans) and their investment and trust in Heart as their leader.
Ironically, the most engaging part of The Highest of Stakes is Richard Heart himself. He exudes charisma and speaks directly to the heart of everyone he comes into contact. Everyone deserves the right to live life to its fullest, casting aside the 9-to-5 grind. As such, according to Heart (paraphrasing), HEX coin was created to make people wealthy but in a disciplined way. When you invest in a stake in HEX coin, your funds are locked up for a pre-determined amount of time, which is set by you. At the end of the stake, you’re money grows. The longer the stake, the more you earn. You are essentially investing in “delayed gratification.”
“…almost disappears with their money with nothing to show for it and is linked to the crypto-crash of 2022.”
Before you think of this as a feature-length infomercial for Heart and HEX coin, the filmmakers dive deep into their subject matter. Much of the first half explores the cult-like nature of the Hexicans. Their unwavering devotion to following Heart is unmistakable when you listen to them speak. He asks them to invest or “sacrifice” their money for his new venture PulseChain, and they acquiesce. He almost disappears with their money with nothing to show for it and is linked to the crypto-crash of 2022. He did call it a “sacrifice.”
The Highest of Stakes then sends in two financial scam experts to examine HEX coin, its culture, and Heart himself. They pepper him with one tough, accusatory question after the other. They highlight the fact that an investment in HEX coin does nothing. It’s not invested in anything. It doesn’t work. It just sits there paying off present maturing stakes. When confronting Heart with what appears to be an elaborate Ponzi scheme, the man doesn’t deny their description of HEX coin. In fact, he doubles down and tells each investor every single detail about how HEX coin works.
I’ll be honest. I walked away feeling that HEX coin is a complex house of cards, but at the same time, feeling this heightened sense of FOMO. Maybe I’ve taken in too much of Heart’s Kool-Aid. At one point, Heart implies that the difference between him and Bernie Madoff is that Heart and HEX coin is absolutely transparent and encourages investors to dig deep and do their due diligence.
As a fan of documentaries, I’m always drawn to stories of extraordinary and odd people. This film hits my sweet spot. Heart is this enigma that I’m still trying to wrap my mind around. Ultimately, The Highest of Stakes is a profile of the most charismatic man in the world. Certainly, this man has to be a conman or, worse, a Svengali. Yet, the question is whether HEX coin is a scam, provided you know it’s a scam from the start.
A British family have shared their horrific experiences in Greece after they say their travel agent flew them to Rhodes despite wildfires raging across the island.
Jess Bailey, a Devon councillor, flew to the island from Bristol Airport on July 22 with her husband and two daughters, 11 and 15.
She said the family arrived to chaos in the airport as wildfires have triggered the country’s largest disaster evacuation in history.
Speaking to Devon Live, she said: ‘After a lot of hanging around we were brought to the evacuation centre.’
She added: ‘Why did TUI fly us and hundreds of other people in when hotels are cut off by wildfires? We spent the night with hundreds/ thousands of Brits in Rhodes evacuation centre and I didn’t sleep a wink.
‘We have had totally useless communication from TUI. They emailed at 4.30am saying, “you may be experiencing some delays at the airport”, and that I can source my own transport to our hotel.’
Jess Bailey (bottom right) flew out to Rhodes with her family on Saturday
Wildfires burn forests in Rhodes, Greece, in this picture obtained from social media, July 23
A TUI UK & Ireland spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Our teams in Rhodes have been working tirelessly to support customers impacted by the wildfires in south-eastern parts of the island.
‘Five repatriation flights have brought hundreds of customers home and we’re working hard to get everyone back as soon as we can.
‘We appreciate how distressing and difficult it’s been for those who have been evacuated.
‘We ask that they continue to follow the advice of the local authorities and keep in touch with our reps.
‘We are not operating any outbound flights to Rhodes up to and including Friday 28th July.
‘We are also not operating holidays for customers travelling to impacted hotels in the south up to and including Friday 11th August.
‘We’ll be in touch with customers directly if their hotels have been impacted or customers can contact us via our call centre or go to one of our TUI retail stores.
‘All flight-only customers due to travel on these flights will receive full refunds.
‘Package holiday customers will have the option to amend their booking or cancel with a full refund.
‘Passengers due to travel up to and including 30th July for all areas of Rhodes will be offered a fee free amend to another holiday or the option to cancel for a full refund.
‘We are still operating flights from Rhodes back to the UK & Ireland as scheduled. The safety and well-being of our customers and teams remains our top priority.’
Holidaymakers stuck in Rhodes have meanwhile described the scenes at the airport as ‘absolute pandemonium’.
Stranded families have told MailOnline how they were left ‘fighting for our lives’ to try and get onto boats as desperate tourists shoved children out of the way to to force themselves on board.
Distressed holidaymakers, including young children, have been pictured lying on the floor at Rhodes Airport.
Others were seen anxiously staring up at the departures board as they attempt to flee the ‘apocalyptic’ island.
The Government said on Sunday afternoon it was ‘actively monitoring the fires in Rhodes’ and is in close contact with the local authorities.
The Foreign Office has deployed a Rapid Deployment Team of five staff and four British Red Cross responders who have been pictured trying to help British nationals at the airport.
Newlywed Andrew Brittan, 27, and his wife Emily travelled from the East Midlands to Rhodes for their honeymoon yesterday, unaware that it would become a holiday from hell.
‘The first night of my honeymoon was spent on a mattress outside,’ Andrew told MailOnline from a refuge centre where generous locals have been donating mattresses to terrified tourists.
While they have been stuck in the baking heat with ‘hundreds’ of other tourists at one makeshift evacuation centre, other Brits have been desperately trying to escape the fire-ravaged island.
Destroyed vehicles are seen as wildfires burn forests in Rhodes, Greece in this picture obtained from social media, July 23, 2023
A wildfire burns at the Trapeza village, in Achaia Peloponnese, Greece, 23 July 2023
Newlywed Andrew Brittan, 27, and his wife Emily, spent the first night of their honeymoon last night on a mattress outside a makeshift refuge centre. They were unable to go to their hotel after arriving in Rhodes as it had already been evacuated
Mother Abi James was holidaying with her husband, their friends and the couples’ two young sons when they saw flames approaching their hotel, and were forced to run for their lives.
The families, along with dozens of others, say they were told to stay put. But Abi’s maternal instinct kicked in and they fled on foot – walking around five miles in 42 degree heat to escape the raging flames yesterday.
Bryce, 16, shared a sweet photo via his Instagram Story on Tuesday, July 25, in honor of his siblings’ recent hospitalization. In the snap, Bryce and Bronny, 18, are walking side by side with their backs to the camera. Bryce added a red heart emoji to the picture.
The teenager’s subtle show of support for Bronny came one day after James’ eldest child was rushed to the hospital on Monday following a basketball workout at the University of Southern California. (Bronny will be a freshman at USC this fall and is already part of the school’s basketball team.)
“Medical staff was able to treat Bronny and take him to the hospital,” a spokesperson for the James family told Us Weekly on Tuesday. “He is now in stable condition and no longer in ICU. We ask for respect and privacy for the James family and we will update media when there is more information.”
Courtesy of LeBron James/Instagram
The statement continued: “LeBron and Savannah wish to publicly send their deepest thanks and appreciation to the USC medical and athletic staff for their incredible work and dedication to the safety of their athletes.”
While LeBron’s career as a professional NBA player has made headlines for decades, he beamed with pride when Bronny announced in May that he had signed with USC to play basketball.
Before Bronny committed to USC, LeBron revealed that he wanted to stay in the NBA until his eldest son joined the league. LeBron, who is currently on the Los Angeles Lakers, hinted that he couldn’t retire until he shared the court with his firstborn.
“My last year will be played with my son,” LeBron told The Athletic in February 2022. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son for one year. It’s not about the money at that point.”
“I haven’t begun to even think about next year,” he said during a May press conference after the Lakers lost in the 2023 West Conference Finals. “We had a great run, but we fell short of our goal and our goal is to win championships. That’s what this franchise is about, so that’s disappointing.”
LeBron told reporters: “We’ll see what happens going forward, but I don’t know. I’ve got a lot to think about to be honest. Just personally, with me moving forward with the game of basketball, I got a lot to think about.”
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, gained ground in its most recent quarter against several of its lingering challenges, according to financial results released on Tuesday.
The Google search engine’s ad business showed resilience despite growing worries about competition powered by artificial intelligence. YouTube, the Google-owned video platform, is starting to show momentum in its race against TikTok. And while Google was slower than Microsoft to integrate generative A.I. into products, it appears to be making progress.
Alphabet posted $74.6 billion in quarterly sales, up 7 percent from a year earlier and besting analysts’ estimate of $72.9 billion, according to data compiled by FactSet.
The internet giant’s profit climbed 15 percent, to $18.4 billion, in the second quarter, Google said, beating Wall Street’s expectations of $17.1 billion.
Google and other companies dependent on digital advertising, such as Meta and Snap, have looked to reverse an ad spending slump caused by economic uncertainty, rising interest rates and inflation.
In a statement, Google said it was aided by accelerating revenue from its search engine and YouTube in the second quarter. The search engine benefited from higher ad spending among retailers.
It’s difficult to determine if Alphabet’s rebound indicates that the broader online ad market is regaining strength. Google’s search engine tends to hold up well in both good and bad economic times. YouTube’s modest recovery does suggest things are getting better, though the company’s advertising technology division, which posts ads on websites across the web, lost ground on revenue.
Investors appeared to be relieved by the company’s improving ad sales. Alphabet’s stock price rose 6 percent in after-hours trading on Tuesday.
In an earnings call on Tuesday, Sundar Pichai, Alphabet’s chief executive, said generative A.I. allowed the company “to not always be constrained to how search was working before,” and would lead to innovation for its search engine.
“This is our seventh year as an A.I.-first company, and we intuitively know how to incorporate A.I. into our products,” Mr. Pichai said. “These advances provide an opportunity to reimagine many of our products, including our most important product: search.”
Philipp Schindler, Google’s chief business officer, said in the earnings call that YouTube’s quarterly sales gains reflected greater stability in advertiser spending. But the recovery has not been universal. Snap, the parent of Snapchat, posted a second straight quarterly sales decline on Tuesday, in a sign that the ad landscape remained rocky and that Google’s size and reach have given it more advantages in weathering the terrain.
Despite concerns of growing A.I. competition from the ChatGPT chatbot and Microsoft’s Bing search engine, Google’s search engine has remained a central gateway to the web for billions of users. That has helped the company convince more advertisers that its sites are still a reliable way to reach consumers.
The company has tried to refocus in other ways by shedding some projects that lacked promise, laying off 12,000 workers and consolidating two of its A.I. labs to accelerate research in recent months. In May, Google introduced a number of A.I. features and products at its annual conference, finally responding to ChatGPT’s maker, OpenAI, and Microsoft. But it remains too early to tell how these A.I. tools will affect Google’s revenue expansion or bottom line, if at all.
Google also announced on Tuesday that Ruth Porat, its longest-serving chief financial officer, would assume the newly created role of president and chief investment officer on Sept. 1. In that position, she will be responsible for Alphabet’s experimental businesses, called Other Bets, and engage with policymakers around infrastructure, economic opportunities and other matters.
Ms. Porat, who has been at Google since 2015, will remain chief financial officer until the company can find a successor.
Revenue from Google’s search engine, its largest business, rose 5 percent to $42.6 billion in the second quarter, just above analysts’ estimate of $42.2 billion.
Advertising sales at YouTube climbed 4 percent to $7.7 billion, above the $7.4 billion expected by analysts. The division had reported declining revenue in recent quarters, amid increased competition from TikTok, but it finally reversed that slide.
YouTube Shorts, a quick-clip competitor to TikTok, are watched by over two billion logged-in users every month, up from 1.5 billion a year ago, Mr. Pichai said on the call.
Google Cloud, the company’s division that offers software and technology services to other businesses, recorded a 28 percent increase in sales, to $8 billion. Analysts had estimated $7.9 billion. The division, which had long lost money until the first quarter, reported an operating profit of $395 million in the second quarter.
Pete Davidson was given a 50-day community service sentence on Tuesday for a March 4 incident in which he crashed his Mercedes into a home in Beverly Hills.
The comedian is expected to do his community service with the New York Fire Department, where his late father worked, Los Angeles County prosecutors told the Associated Press.
Davidson’s father, Scott, was a first responder who died in the 9/11 attacks. The former “Saturday Night Live” star bases much of his comedy on his own life, including his semi-autobiographical Peacock sitcom “Bupkis” and the 2020 comedy feature “The King of Staten Island.”
Davidson pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor and was put in an 18-month program that includes 12 hours of traffic school and to pay an unspecified restitution.
No one was injured in the crash, which prosecutors called a “serious collision.” His girlfriend, “Bodies Bodies Bodies” costar Chase Sui Wonders, was a passenger in the car at the time of the accident. Authorities said that Davidson lost control of his car, hopped a curb and knocked out a fire hydrant before slamming into the side of a house.
Davidson next appears in Craig Gillespie’s Reddit-inspired movie “Dumb Money,” which is out on Sept. 22
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, The Hollywood Reporter may receive an affiliate commission.
Whether you’re heading to a local beach or jet-setting somewhere exciting, investing in a new designer tote bag is always a good idea. You can, of course, lug around that tried-and-true farmer’s market canvas bag that has been by your side (or on your shoulder) for the past 10 years, but we’re giving you permission to upgrade your carryall for a very special occasion: summer.
That’s right: this sunny season is reason enough to reward yourself for enduring less-than-desirable weather for the past many months, as we’ve all been itching to go outside and play. A roomy, statement tote bag will be your number one roll dog on these adventures, as it’s large enough to carry all of your essentials and cool enough to wear with pride. Just be prepared for constant compliments.
From Kylie’s striped Miu Miu to Shay Mitchell’s woven Prada to the asymmetrical favorite that Katie Holmes can’t get enough of, these are the best designer tote bags to invest in this season — all roomy enough to throw in your favorite toiletry bags, summer beauty essentials and an extra pair of flip-flops. Bonus: since tote bags are made of more accessible fabrics, so are their prices, which means you’ll be able to get your hands on a designer bag without the designer dollar signs.
1. Karl Lagerfeld Logo-Print Tote Bag
The Karl Lagerfeld-themed Met Gala love carries on in the designer’s sturdy logo-print tote, which features a snap button closure, top handles, an interior zipped compartment and red fabric lining.
For a beach-ready and transparent (but not totally see-through) option, go for Marni’s translucent logo tote. This style features dual top handles, an open top (pro tip: cover your essentials with a towel) and an all-over print of Marni’s logo.
For a sportier option, we love this Adidas by Stella McCartney ASMC logo tote, which is crafted of lightweight polyester fabric and features multiple zip closures to protect your prized possessions.
For a cheeky poolside accessory, bring your own float to the party in the form of Acne Studios’ inflatable PVC tote, featuring one main compartment, a detachable webbing strap, a decorative heart keychain and, yes, a hole for inflating and deflating your bag.
Katie Holmes has been spotted on multiple occasions in NYC toting around 3.1 Phillip Lim’s large prism tote bag, which features a two-tone design, a side zip fastening, two top handles, thin shoulder straps and a removable pouch.
This isn’t just any Telfar shopping bag. From cult-favorite designer Telfar Clemens’ collab with Ugg comes this shearling-trimmed baby blue suede carryall that’s finished with the Brooklyn-based label’s inimitable circled “T” logo.
Emily Ratajkowski is Loewe’s latest campaign star, which is why the model and actress has been seen all over New York sporting the Spanish luxury brand’s best-selling accessories and apparel. She likely owns Loewe’s leather-trimmed woven raffia tote, which is quickly becoming a street-style favorite for its beachy feel, chic tan leather and an embossment of the label’s iconic motif.
Net-a-porter
Loewe Small Leather-Trimmed Woven Raffia Tote $590
Kylie Jenner recently took a selfie wearing Miu Miu’s multicolor logo-print tote bag, featuring an interwoven design, two top handles, a horizontal stripe pattern and an open top.
Closing out this list with the designer tote of all designer totes, the iconic Prada woven-logo raffia tote bag, as spotted on Shay Mitchell during her recent Italian excursion. The best-selling bag, woven with 100 percent raffia palm, is also available in blue, yellow, black and white. We suggest investing in the natural hue to allow for endless vacation outfit options.
Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor get clicked after watching Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani.
Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani marks Alia Bhatt’s first movie after the birth of her daughter Raha Kapoor with Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor.
Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor attended the premiere of Alia Bhatt and Ranveer Singh’s new movie Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani in Mumbai on Tuesday. Needless to say, Ranbir was extremely impressed by his wifey’s film. After watching the Karan Johar directorial, Ranbir and Alia exited the theatre together. While the couple was heading to their car, Ranbir revealed that he loved the movie as he made a positive hand gesture when the paparazzi asked him about his review.
In a video, shared by Manav Manglani, Ranbir was also seen protecting Alia from the Mumbai rains as they made their way to the car. Ranbir and Alia’s fans couldn’t stop drooling over them in the comment section. One user wrote, “Ufff the way Ranbir hold his wife.” Another one said, “Okay loved how RK was being protective of Alia.”
Earlier, Alia had revealed that Ranbir took a keen interest in Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani’s music. Answering a question by News18 at the film’s promotional event, Alia said, “Ranbir loved the trailer. In general, he is a huge Pritam Da fan. They have given their biggest hits together. Karan (Johar), Pritam Da and Ranbir have given a fantastic album together. When the songs were being made, since then, I have been making Ranbir listen to the songs.”
“When he heard Tum Kya Mile and What Jhumka, he said, ‘Yeh accha hai, this will really work’. When I am working on a film, with my enthusiasm, I take him along the journey even if he has other things to do,” Alia added.
Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahaani marks Karan Johar’s comeback as a director after seven years. Besides Alia and Ranveer, the film also stars veteran actors Dharmendra, Shabana Azmi and Jaya Bachchan in key roles.
Shrishti Negi is a journalist with nearly eight years of experience in the media industry. She is currently heading the Entertainment team at News18.c…Read More
Grammy-winning singer Monica confirmed Tuesday that she halted her show in Detroit over the weekend after seeing a man strike a woman in the audience.
Fan videos of the moment went viral, showing the R&B singer leap from the stage at the city’s Riverfront Music Festival after calling out into the microphone, “Don’t you hit her like that!”
Monica told the Hollywood Reporter on Monday that she saw the altercation and tried to get the attention of security to de-escalate the situation but was unable to do so, which prompted her to jump into the crowd and intervene.
“And I did everything I could after seeing him strike her to prevent her from being hit again,” the “Boy Is Mine” singer said. “It was very triggering for me to see a woman be assaulted by a man, but I thank God that we were able to prevent it from going further than it did and everyone made it home safe.”
Video of the incident did not clearly show the alleged assailant or victim. The 42-year-old artist could be seen parting the crowd, alongside security, continuing to point toward the apparent altercation and yelling out, “‘You don’t hit no f— lady like that.” Fans cheered on the singer and began to chant, “Get his a— out of here!”
After returning to the stage, Monica apologized for the interruption and said she was “triggered” and had lost her temper. After addressing the crowd, she went on with her set, according to the Detroit Metro Times.
A spokesperson for the festival condemned “any form of violence, particularly against women” and shared they were working with law enforcement to “ensure that the individual involved is held accountable,” the Metro Times reported. It remained unclear what prompted the apparent altercation.
In the THR interview, Monica called on concertgoers to “start governing themselves a lot better” and be mindful of one another’s space in such “crowded situations” where there’s “going to be a lot of touching … a lot of interaction and maybe uncomfortable moments.”
In 2018, Monica reportedly intervened in a domestic violence situation in the parking lot of a Walgreens where she was shopping, according to BET. She shared on Instagram that she saw a man beat a woman inside their car. When Monica tried to stop the man, however, the singer claimed that she was turned away by the woman, which left her “floored” and “confused.”
In recent months, violent behavior at pop music concerts hasn’t been restricted to the audience but has extended to the stage. Some fans have acted out against artists by throwing objects at them during performances — such as phones or vapes.
In one case, pop singer Bebe Rexha got a black eye and needed stitches after a concertgoer pelted the singer in the face with a phone during a New York show on June 18. Shortly afterward, singer-songwriter Ava Max was slapped by a show attendee onstage during her L.A. concert.
Granted, this Episode 5 surprise is far from the series’ first familiar face. To date, Secret Invasion – which is the first series in the MCU’s Phase 5 – has featured cameos from Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and even Iron Man 2.
But this cameo is different.
Not only is it a chance for the MCU’s“espionage thriller” series to connect to its Phase 4 spy film, but it also raises the question of what else Marvel Studios has in store.
In the latest episode of Secret Invasion, Mason is still in the transportation business, but this time he’s supplying Nick Fury with a ride, as well as papers and means to cross the Finnish border.
Marvel UK’s Instagram caption reads as follows:
“You’re the most wanted man on earth and you need a plane… who do you call? Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion and Black Widow are streaming now on Disney+.”
Is Rick Mason’s Return a Cameo or a Comeback?
Since the sixth and final episode of Secret Invasion is hours away from its debut, now is the time for Marvel Studios to acknowledge last week’s surprise appearance, especially if Rick Mason has a part to play in the finale.
Whether he does or not is unknown, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he did.
Interestingly enough, Mason also helped Natasha run from General Thunderbolt Ross; and three members of the Thunderbolts cast made their MCU debuts in Black Widow, including Florence Pugh’s Yelena Belova, Taskmaster’s Olga Kurylenko, and David Harbour’s Red Guardian.
Also, Rick Mason’s cameo is far from Secret Invasion‘s only Black Widow reference.
General Dreykov, Black Widow‘s main villain, was referenced in Episode 3 of the series; and in the most recent episode, Fury wore Natasha’s face-changing Widow’s Veil to conceal his appearance.
Whether Marvel is simply celebrating Rick Mason’s cameo – or the beginning of his MCU return – will be interesting to see.
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is back. One of the most compelling moments, which garnered some serious audience reaction in theaters, was those cameos that came out of nowhere at the conclusion of Fast X. Gisele Yashar (Gal Gadot) shows up in a submarine of all things, and then the pièce de resistance: Luke Hobbs appears. And the Fast & Furious franchise star Vin Diesel knew the return of Hobbs was not only important but essential for the series.
Diesel said in the digital and Blu-ray special features for Fast X (via Entertainment Tonight):
When you end the movie with a cliffhanger of that magnitude, you only do that when you believe that your audience believes in you. But it was no easy task because so much has been created in this universe. And to tie up all the storylines, this character [Hobbs] needed to come back into the mythology.
With such a formidable opponent like Dante Reyes (Jason Momoa) to grapple with, it also seems right that Diesel and director Louis Leterrier welcome Johnson back into the Fast & Furious fold.
Leterrier said during the same special features segment:
There’s no ‘Fast and Furious’ without an amazing tag at the end — a surprise appearance as the lawman pulls off his mask. And we reveal Luke Hobbs.
Dominic Toretto (Diesel) and his Fast & Furious family are left scattered and defeated at the cliffhanging conclusion of Fast X. Dom’s brother Jakob (John Cena) has sacrificed himself for the cause to stop Dante (Momoa) and save Little B (Leo Abelo Perry). But it will take more than the current roster of heroes to bring down Dante. Enter: Luke Hobbs. However, the lawman’s involvement in 2025’s Fast X: Part 2 isn’t a slam dunk.
The well-documented falling out between Vin Diesel and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson made reuniting Luke Hobbs with the Fast & Furious franchise once improbable, at best. However, it seems the two actors have mended their fences.
The next Fast & Furious film you’ll see the legendary lawman in will be the HOBBS movie that will serve as a fresh, new chapter & set up for FASTX: Part II. Last summer Vin and I put all the past behind us. We’ll lead with brotherhood and resolve – and always take care of the franchise, characters & FANS that we love.
The Hobbs movie Johnson refers to is titled Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Reyes. And it not only confirms the Fast X trilogy blueprint, but teases a showdown between “The Rock” and Jason Momoa. Now, depending on when the SAG-AFTRA strike ends, Fast & Furious fans could perhaps see a double-header in 2025, but it’s more likely the two new Fast films will hit theaters over the next couple to three years.
Quarterly Xbox content and services revenue was up 5% year-over-year, driven by growth in third-party content and Xbox Game Pass, but that was offset by a 13% decline in hardware revenue due to a lower volume of consoles sold.
Update
During Microsoft’s earnings call on Tuesday, CEO Satya Nadella claimed Xbox set fourth quarter records for monthly active users and Game Pass engagement.
“We set new fourth quarter highs for monthly active users driven by strength off console as well monthly active devices,” he said. “And we saw record fourth quarter engagement across Game Pass, with hours played up 22% year-over-year.”
The quarterly gaming results fell short of the company’s previous guidance. In April, Microsoft forecasted Xbox revenue growth in the mid to high-single digits and Xbox content and services revenue growth in the low to mid-teens.
Nevertheless, according to independent industry analyst @DomsPlaying, Microsoft’s fourth quarter gaming sales totalled approximately $3.49 billion – the second highest ever for the Xbox division behind Q4 of FY21.
Full-year sales for the division of approximately $15.47 billion were also only bettered during Microsoft’s previous fiscal year.
Notice: To display this embed please allow the use of Functional Cookies in Cookie Preferences.
“Using quarterly sales growth of 1% for Xbox, Microsoft’s gaming division saw $15.465B in revenue during the year ending June 2023,” he wrote.
“It was $16.23B in FY 22. Still, FY23 was its 2nd best fiscal ever.”
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and CFO Amy Hood are expected to provide more information on the Xbox division’s performance during an earnings call beginning at 2.30pm PT / 5.30pm ET / 10.30pm GMT on Tuesday.
If you came into the “Barbie” film cold, expecting that if any song was going to get the most play, it might be Aqua’s “Barbie World,” you had a surprise coming. Turns out Barbie is a huge Indigo Girls fan — or, at least like a million women and some men before her, she likes to belt along with the 1989 folk-rock smash “Closer to Fine” in the car. The song pops up three times over the course of the blockbuster film, guaranteeing that there is going to be a huge resurgence in the real world of people singing about going “to see the doctor of philosophy,” even if they’re actually on their way to the beach.
Emily Saliers, who is half of Indigo Girls along with Amy Ray (and who wrote “Closer to Fine”), got on the phone with Variety from her vacation spot to talk about a licensing sync of anyone’s dreams. (“If you haven’t been to Iceland, I highly recommend it,” she said. “It’s mind-blowingly beautiful here, like nothing I’ve ever seen. Talking about ‘Barbie’ and getting to be in Iceland at the same time — no complaints.”)
You’re on vacation. Have you even had a chance to see the movie?
I just saw the movie. I just turned 60 two days ago, and we took a vacation and so we were in the Faroe Islands and we snagged three individual tickets that weren’t even seated together. There were Dutch subtitles. It was surreal. I loved the movie. I can just tell you it was a cultural trip to be watching it premiere in that movie theater, and I haven’t saved a movie ticket stub since I was maybe 6 years old, but I’m saving this one.
When a licensing request like that comes in, do you ask a lot of questions before signing off?
We always ask questions, and when this first came down the pipeline for us and it was “Barbie,” I said, what? I never had a Barbie, so I don’t know — what’s this all about? My first thought was, oh, gotta make sure this is kosher, and then we found out it was a Greta Gerwig film, so that immediately put us at ease about that knowing it would be subversive in many ways, and also really well handled. And when the trailer came out, our listening audience lost their minds. As a fan of both Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, to see and hear them singing a song I wrote was just mind-blowing. It was a surprise that fell out of the sky, like a gift from heaven, for sure.
Did you know it would be in the movie three times?
No. Even if it had just been the trailer, it would’ve been thrilling. Then to watch and love the movie, and to have it featured so prominently as if it were part of what the movie was exploring, was just the biggest honor, but I didn’t know it until I saw it.
They must have asked quite a while ago, because the characters are singing along with it in the movie, so it’s not something that was just dropped in after filming, or could have been replaced.
They asked a while ago, but it wasn’t last year or anything; it was the past few months. So I don’t know whether maybe they just assumed, “Yeah, this is gonna be a no-brainer for them. They’re gonna really wanna do this.” And of course we did. And then when we found out that Greta hand-picked the song herself, everything was just like, oh, this is a tremendous gift to us. It just feels good to be part of this whole thing, and to be part of a choice that Greta would make purposefully is very validating and exciting and honoring.
Barbie gets more enlightened over the course of the movie, but it was interesting that even before becoming that enlightened, “Closer to Fine” has somehow penetrated Barbieland from the real world, breaking the metaphysical barrier between worlds. If you choose to think about it that much.
If Greta felt like this is a song that could have been in the reality of the Barbie world before it hit the real world, then that’s a lot. And then of course, Barbie and Ken and all of them are questioning: Who am I? What is my place in life? All the questions, and of course that song is all about asking questions. So, um, It’s wonderful that it, it had its place throughout the movie in the different contexts, like the real world Barbie land and, and it actually fit into what some of the movie was trying to explore.
You’ve said that the song is not about beating yourself up about not knowing the answers, or not feeling the need to quest for a single answer. This is a movie about an existential quest, and even though she’s singing it kind of in a carefree way at the beginning, it reflects the concept of the movie as a sort of coming of age story, or coming of mindfulness story. There’s the quest that begins with “does anybody think about dying,” and it sets that up to have a deep song popping up so early in the movie and then recurring.
Sounds like you’ve given a lot of thought, as have I, but that’s exactly right. If it has just been used as a singalong, I know it is a road-trip singalong song to people, at least of our era, who take it along with them, just because of what they tell me and tell Amy. But the fact that it was used as more than just the singalong song and that it does really touch on all the existential stuff that’s going on with Barbie and Ken and the whole reality — I don’t even know how to describe how that makes me feel for us to be part of that, in the deft hands of a director like Greta Gerwig.
And not to have it be too heavy, you know. Like, we always historically have just been dumped on for being too sincere or too serious or whatever. So I love that a song that asks a lot of existential questions, as you’ve said, gets placed in a film that’s asking serious questions. But it’s just so fun, so funny, so vibrant, so full of life — there’s nothing that’s a bummer about it. It’s just got an identifiable melody and a chorus that you can really hook into, so, structurally as a song, it’s something that you just can sing at the top of your lungs if you want to, even as you’re singing lyrics that you may not realize are pondering those things.
What did you think of the Brandi Carlile and Catherine Carlile cover version on the deluxe digital soundtrack?She’s of course one of your biggest fans.
Well, that was really came out of nowhere too. At first, you’re gonna either assume or ask, is this song gonna be on the soundtrack? And by all accounts it wasn’t gonna be on the soundtrack. Just a very short time ago, like in the past two weeks, Brandi reached out to us and said that they’d asked her to do a cover of it. It’s a beautiful rendition. I love that she did it with her wife, Catherine. And, you know, we’ve been on the path with Brandi for many years now, and she’s very gracious with the way that she says our music has inspired her. So it’s kind of like coming full circle.
But at first we were like, well, shouldn’t we do the soundtrack? But the people who put the soundtrack together wanted different artists covering original versions of songs. And it makes sense that Brandi is the one who ended up doing it, and in her hands of course it came out beautifully. We just gave her carte blanche and said, “Sing it with whomever you like. Take any approach you like.”
Do you have any favorite use that it’s had as a sync before?
It’s been used in various things through the years and some of them are things that I haven’t even seen myself. But of course we read what the script was gonna be. Every time you get a license opportunity, it’s really thrilling, and Amy and I have always honestly wished that we’d had more licensing. We don’t do commercials with our music. But we’ve always felt that we have plenty of songs in our catalog that would work well in different contexts. When that Kate Bush song came out in “Stranger Things,” it was like, I can’t believe they chose this song, and now this incredible generation of new listeners is listening. So I can’t say that I had like an experience with an earlier licensing where it was as strong and resonant as “Barbie” is. But every time, it’s exciting and thrilling because somebody’s created something, even if it’s a TV show like “The Office,” which is a very well-respected series where somebody’s making a choice to include one of our songs in a well done piece of work or art. I hope that people who see the movie get interested in the song and get their interests piqued, and then they check it out and hopefully from that point then they’ll check out the rest of the catalog and find some music that they can hook into.
There is a documentary coming out about Indigo Girls, which is excellent — we reviewed it on the festival circuit — and maybe this is almost like an accidental trailer for the doc, something which will be seen by trillions of people and maybe at least subliminally register with them when that comes out.
You’re talking about “It’s Only Life After All,” which Alexandria Bombach did such a beautiful job on. Going to Sundance and being in Tribeca, that was thrilling, and then to have Barbie on the heels of that, or in the midst of it, it’s kinda like, wow, I guess if you stick around long enough, something like this can happen to you. It does feel like a dream come true.
Any idea when the doc will come out?
They’re working on that. It’s a terrible time in the industry with all the layoffs, with budget cuts and things like that. The movie was stalled for a couple years during COVID as Alexandria continued to edit, but so they’re still working on getting a release where it can be viewed on streaming platforms. That’s what they’re working on currently, so there’s no release date for that, but it will have a theatrical release, too. I just know that Alexandria and her team are working, you know, tirelessly to get it placed so that people can see it.
Back to “Barbie” — did you have any thoughts about the film’s approach to intersectional feminism… being able to be subversive and have some heavy messaging and alsosell product at the same time? Judging from your response to the movoie, you might be a fan of sort of working within the system to get messages across.
I am a fan of that, living in the world that we live in today. I know that there will be all kinds of opinions about that. But for me, when you have a far-reaching opportunity to discuss feminism and to discuss questions, like when Barbie says, “I don’t want to be what’s created. I want to be a creator”… And even Ken says, “When I found out that the patriarchy wasn’t about horses, I kind of got bored with it”… To see a movie that’s really kind of a romp in many ways, but then is also subversive and makes you think — it certainly made me think, my wife and my friend and I. We left the theater discussing what was brought up about feminism and about the roles women been subjective to. But also then you have the creator of the doll — I loved it that Greta included her in the film at the end. It’s a thought-provoking movie and the intersectionality worked for me.
It has a subversive nature, but I mean, it’s very hard to understand why the right has had such an adverse reaction, calling it, like, uber-woke. I thought it’s a movie that everybody could watch and talk about and think about. … It wasn’t like everything was tied up in a bow at the end. There are still loose ends about those questions about how women are supposed to look and what their role is and what it means to be subjugated to oppression from patriarchy and all those really heavy and true things. I thought Greta did a very excellent job of walking a very fine line and including commercialism — because in the end, you can’t deny the fact that the huge capitalist mechanism is at work there. And if you accept the fact that that’s where we are and we have to ask the important questions within the context of all that, then I don’t think you’re gonna wrestle with the movie. But there’s no way you can have the complexity of this world and gender roles and then tie it all up and go, ah, now it all makes sense. It just doesn’t work like that. The most important thing is that it’s thought-provoking and questions are being asked.
Well, if it causes grown men to create videos where they’re burning Barbie dolls, then it’s probably doing something right.
Amid all the noise about studios’ taking apart the fall and Q4 release schedule over the actors’ strike, here’s some good news. Amazon is taking their Emerald Fennell directed movie, Saltburn, out on Black Friday, Nov. 24 in New York and LA. Pic will expand on Dec. 7.
In the wake of releasing Ben Affleck’s Air in theaters over Easter, which opened to $20.2M over five days stateside and made close to $90M worldwide, the streamer is going theatrical again, and that’s a big thing to applaud.
They’re very excited about Fennell’s next big feature, which has a plot that’s under wraps (logline is it’s about an aristocratic family). A murderer’s row cast of Jacob Elordi, Carey Mulligan, Rosamund Pike, Barry Keoghan and Richard E. Grant.
There’s speculation out there that Saltburn is heading to Telluride.
Fennell’s previous Carey Mulligan movie, Promising Young Woman, won the filmmaker original screenplay at the Oscars with five noms overall including Best Picture.
Follow’s Barbie‘s massive debut weekend, Greta Gerwig is opening up about the film’s success, criticism and if she sees a sequel in her future.
During an interview withThe New York Times, published online Tuesday, when asked if she sees the Margot Robbie-led film as the start of a franchise or a complete story, the director responded, “At this moment, it’s all I’ve got.”
“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,” she explained. “I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream, but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.”
Gerwig’s comments come after a record-breaking debut weekend for the movie and director. Not only did Barbie score one of the top openings since the pandemic, with $162 million at the North American box office, but Gerwig also broke the opening weekend record for a female director.
The filmmaker was “at a loss for words” after seeing what a massive success the movie was. “It’s been amazing to walk around and see people in pink,” she added. “Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like this.”
At times, it’s even been difficult for her to grasp the response. “I think part of the reason I was so fixated on volume levels [in theaters] was because it was a thing I could concentrate on,” she said. “But mostly, it’s been running into people on the street who are excited and happy and exuberant, because so much of this movie was an attempt to create something that people would want to experience together. So, it’s the little things.”
Many viewers have taken to social media after watching the film to praise it and its inclusion of deeper issues such as sexism, female empowerment and self-determination. But some Conservative pundits have gone on to bash the movie as being “woke” as well as reportedly burning their Barbies.
Gerwig noted that she absolutely did not anticipate that type of reaction. “Certainly, there’s a lot of passion,” she said in response to the criticism. “My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.”
The filmmaker also addressed some of the disagreements the film’s creative team had with Mattel throughout filming. It was previously reported that Richard Dickson, COO and president of Mattel, went to the London set at one point and argued with Gerwig and Robbie over a scene “he felt was off-brand,” according to Time magazine.
Gerwig said the whole interaction sounded more dramatic than it actually was. “They were coming anyway, so it wasn’t like, ‘Stop everything, we all have to go to London!’” she explained.
But in regard to the scene in question, where a teenage human calls Barbie dolls sexist and fascist, the director said, “My awareness of Barbie as a thing in the world completely corresponded with me knowing the arguments against Barbie. I didn’t think there was any way to do this without giving that real estate and having well-articulated, correct arguments from a really smart character given to Barbie against Barbie.”
Although she never got a full seal of approval from Mattel, she explained, she got them to accept it enough to proceed. “I had faith once it was in there, and they saw it that they would embrace it, not fight it,” the filmmaker said.
As Gerwig continues to relish in Barbie‘s triumph, she quipped that her 4-year-old son feels slightly different about all the Barbiemania.
“He made a cake for me that was pink and had a ‘B’ on it, and he said, ‘This is how we say goodbye to Barbie,’” Gerwig told The Times with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Oh, you’re done.’”
“I have never witnessed a greater sacrifice by a lead actor in my career,” the actor said of his co-star in the Christopher Nolan-directed film.
Downey Jr. added, “He knew it was going to be a behemoth ask when Chris called him. But I think he also had the humility that is required to survive playing a role like this. We’d be like, ‘Hey, we got a three-day weekend. Maybe we’ll go antiquing in Santa Fe. What are you going to do?’ ‘Oh, I have to learn 30,000 words of Dutch. Have a nice time.’ But that’s the nature of the ask.”
Murphy was committed to the role and also talked about his weight loss in keeping true to the subject he was personifying.
“It’s like you’re on this f*cking train that’s just bombing. It’s bang, bang, bang, bang. You sleep for a few hours, get up, bang it again,” Murphy told IndieWire of his performance. “I was running on crazy energy; I went over a threshold to where I was not worrying about food or anything. I was so in it, a state of hyper-something. But it was good because the character was like that. He never ate.”
The actor said that Oppenheimer alternated between cigarettes and pipes and modeled his behavior during filming adding, “You become competitive with yourself a little bit which is not healthy. I don’t advise it.”
The morbid draw of true crime — vicariously experiencing other people’s tragedies by sifting through the elements that caused them — goes under the microscope in the kitschy whodunnit “Susie Searches.” Sophie Kargman’s feature debut, expanded from her short of the same name, plays on the dangers that come when voyeur becomes an interference, but the sort-of thriller doesn’t have the bite to investigate the provocative sympathy it has for its meddling antihero.
An aspiring gumshoe, Susie is first introduced as a precocious grade schooler, sitting beside her mother, Anne (Jammie Patton) as the two read a detective novel — the nice kind that encourages adolescent curiosity and ends with a virtuous sleuth catching a mustache-twirling menace. An affecting montage shows the pair continuing their shared hobby as the years pass. Anne falls ill as her daughter dutifully cares for her, growing into a wannabe wunderkind (Kiersey Clemons), now a college student hosting her own true crime podcast, but still as wide-eyed as a child.
Early on, “Susie Searches” recalls the tone of those kid-appropriate, Nancy Drew-style mystery novels. Adam Reamer’s affectionate production design evokes the friendly colors of kindergarten arts and crafts. Susie clocks out at the ocean teal Bonanza Burger before heading to the warm wooden browns of the police station for an internship. Her bedroom is a rainbow of organized information, with paper folders mounted against the walls and corkboards plastered with suspect’s photographs, all criss-crossed by string.
But there’s a definite archness to the innocent premise, most evident in Susie’s isolation. She’s not just an awkward conversationalist; she’s a failed media start-up, with nobody tuning into the podcast she pours her heart and soul into. Distraught by her lack of listeners, lonely Susie is eager to leap at what she senses is her big break: the kidnapping of fellow student Jesse (Alex Wolff), the son of a local real estate magnate and a meditation guru with a sizable internet following.
What begins as a dogged investigation finds a resolution quickly — and it’s from there that “Susie Searches” looks beneath its sunny tone to reveal satirical ambitions. Unfortunately, that’s also where the film starts to fall apart.
Without spoiling the specifics, it turns out that Susie isn’t exactly the bastion of moral tenacity that the film’s opening act would suggest. She has her own interests that she’s desperate enough to take questionable routes to reach. Clemons’ strong performance provides enough of a center to propel the story to its conclusion. Though Susie’s enthusiastic narration papers the film, it’s all played as a nervous tic. Clemons is at her best when her character runs out of things to say and her braces-faced grin curdles into worry.
But “Susie Searches” lets its lead off easy by painting almost every other character as a brash, annoying phony. There’s Jesse, who speaks in generic worship for humanity and has the personality of a paper cup to match. Susie’s burger joint co-worker (Rachel Sennott) is characterized as little more than an uncurious nag, while their boss (Ken Marino) is just a worrywart with a short fuse. There’s also the local sheriff (Jim Gaffigan), a friendly but completely clueless officer, plus a college administrator (Geoffrey Owens) who can only boast about how the investigation has led to increased alumni donations and undergrad applications. Kargman corrals her cast well enough, each actor meeting the film at its heightened tone. But nobody really seems to be carrying any secrets — a tall hurdle for a whodunit pastiche to overcome.
That ungenerous attitude toward Susie’s world hijacks the mood as the film goes full-tilt media circus lampoon. The jokes fall flat, as the film remains too protective of Susie — a young woman who compromises herself to gain recognition from a population of idiots, but doesn’t show an ounce of cynicism about the matter. Her decisions seem to have been instinctive and there aren’t a lot of dramatic stakes to watching a person get everything they want without any self-reflection.
“Susie Searches” belatedly moves to introduce some consequences in its final act, culminating in a stand-off that’s high on convenience and low on suspense. The coda — a secret accidentally revealed — sets up a much more dramatically challenging finale before cutting to credits. The lasting impression is a missed opportunity.
An official business motion to study building a fence around Galt Gardens in Lethbridge has been voted down by city council.
If passed, the motion would have directed administration to explore costs and other considerations for a potential wrought iron fence around Galt Gardens, that would serve as a permanent park boundary.
The motion was voted down 5-4.
“I wanted to be able to make sure that it went out to the community and we’d be able to get some information back,” said Mayor Blaine Hyggen, who put forward the motion.
Co-sponsored by Coun. John Middleton-Hope, the motion says “inappropriate social behaviours have become commonplace in (Galt Gardens).”
The mayor envisioned a potential fence closing the park at night to enhance safety.
Story continues below advertisement
According to Hyggen, the idea was put forward after hearing from the community.
“It was in conjunction with other business owners and other public members that have stated to me they want this park to be available for all and they didn’t feel safe to go into that park,” Hyggen said.
Members of the homeless community often use Galt Gardens.
Many of the councillors who opposed the motion were concerned about the impact a fence could have on those people and others in the area.
“You’re just going to end up displacing people, putting them in people’s yards and alleys,” said Coun. Ryan Parker, who voted against the motion.
“We need some kind of solution in that area, but I don’t think a fence is the ultimate solution.”
Those feelings were shared by about 100 protesters who stood outside city hall before Tuesday’s council meeting, speaking against the motion.
When it comes to the local vulnerable population, advocates say the problem can’t be moved around.
“It’s all about services and what we need, not just trying to get them to leave,” protester Chris Rowley said.
Any new ideas to deal with issues at Galt Gardens will have to wait.
Story continues below advertisement
Council is now on summer recess, with the next scheduled meeting not until Sept. 19.
It’s time for your daily dose of Quordle hints, plus the answers for both the main game and the Daily Sequence spin off.
Quordle is the only one of the many Wordle clones that I’m still playing now, around 18 months after the daily-word-game craze hit the internet, and with good reason: it’s good fun, but also difficult.
What’s more, its makers (now the online dictionary Merriam-Webster) are also keeping it fresh in the form of a new variant called the Daily Sequence, which sees you complete four puzzles consecutively, rather than concurrently.
But Quordle is tough, so if you already find yourself searching for Wordle hints, you’ll probably need some for this game too.
I’m a Quordle and Wordle fanatic who’s been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #548 and the answers to the main game and Daily Sequence.
SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don’t read on if you don’t want to know the answers.
Your Quordle expert
Your Quordle expert
Marc McLaren
Marc is TechRadar’s UK Editor in Chief and has been playing Wordle and Quordle for more than a year. He’s authored dozens of articles on the game for TechRadar and its sister site Tom’s Guide, including a detailed analysis of the most common letters in every position. His Wordle streak recently reached the 500 mark and he’ll be inconsolable if he loses it. Yes, he takes it all too seriously.
Quordle today (game #548) – hint #1 – Vowels
How many different vowels are in Quordle today?
• The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4*.
* Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometimes counted as a vowel too).
Quordle today (game #548) – hint #2 – total vowels
What is the total number of vowels in Quordle today?
• The total number of vowels across today’s Quordle answers is 8.
Quordle today (game #548) – hint #3 – repeated letters
Do any of today’s Quordle answers contain repeated letters?
• The number of Quordle answers containing a repeated letter today is 0.
Quordle today (game #548) – hint #4 – total letters
How many different letters are used in Quordle today?
• The total number of different letters used in Quordle today is 14.
Quordle today (game #548) – hint #5 – uncommon letters
Do the letters Q, Z, X or J appear in Quordle today?
• Yes. One of Q, Z, X or J appears among today’s Quordle answers.
Where Wordle challenges you to guess a new five-letter word each day, Quordle presents you with four puzzles to solve. And rather than complete them in turn, you do so simultaneously. You get nine guesses, rather than the six for Wordle, but the rules are otherwise very similar.
As with Wordle, the answers are the same for every player each day, meaning that you’re competing against the rest of the world. And also as with Wordle, the puzzle resets at midnight so you have a fresh challenge each day.
The website also includes a practice mode – which I definitely recommend using before attempting the game proper! – and there are daily stats including a streak count. You also get Quordle Achievements – specific badges for winning a game in a certain number of turns, playing lots of times, or guessing particularly hard words.
Oh, and it’s difficult. Really difficult.
What are the Quordle rules?
The rules of Quordle are almost identical to those of Wordle.
1. Letters that are in the answer and in the right place turn green.
2. Letters that are in the answer but in the wrong place turn yellow.
3. Letters that are not in the answer turn gray…
4. …BUT the word you guess appears in all quadrants of the puzzle at the same time, so an A could turn green in one square, yellow in another and gray in the final two.
5. Answers are never plural.
6. Letters can appear more than once. So if your guess includes two of one letter, they may both turn yellow, both turn green, or one could be yellow and the other green.
7. Each guess must be a valid word in Quordle’s dictionary. You can’t guess ABCDE, for instance.
8. You do not have to include correct letters in subsequent guesses and there is no equivalent of Wordle’s Hard mode.
9. You have nine guesses to find the Quordle answers.
10. You must complete the daily Quordle before midnight in your timezone.
What is a good Quordle strategy?
Quordle needs to be approached in a different way to Wordle. With four puzzles to solve in nine guesses, you can’t blindly throw letters at it and expect to win – you’ll stand a far better chance if you think strategically.
That’s the case in Wordle too, of course, but it’s even more important in Quordle.
There are two key things to remember.
1. Use several starting words
Firstly, you won’t want just a single starting word, but almost certainly two or three starting words.
The first of these should probably be one of the best Wordle starting words, because the same things that make them work well will apply here too. But after that, you should select another word or possibly two that use up lots more of the most common consonants and that include any remaining vowels.
For instance, I currently use STARE > DOILY > PUNCH. Between them, these three words use 15 of the 26 letters in the alphabet including all five vowels, Y, and nine of the most common consonants (S, T, R, D, L, P, N, C and H). There are plenty of other options – you might want to get an M, B, F or G in there instead of the H, maybe – but something like that should do the trick.
If all goes well, that will give you a good lead on what one or sometimes two of the answers might be. If not, well good luck!
2. Narrow things down
Secondly, if you’re faced with a word where the answer might easily be one of several options – for instance -ATCH, where it could be MATCH, BATCH, LATCH, CATCH, WATCH, HATCH or PATCH – you’ll definitely want to guess a word that would narrow down those options.
In Wordle, you can instead try several of those in succession and hope one is right, assuming you have enough guesses left. It’s risky, but will sometimes work. Plus, it’s the only option in Hard mode. But in Quordle, this will almost certainly result in a failure – you simply don’t have enough guesses.
In the scenario above, CLAMP would be a great guess, as it could point the way to four of the seven words in one go.
EXCLUSIVE: Despite all the champagne popping over at Warner Bros and Universal over the bananas box office success of Barbie and Oppenheimer, distribution executives continue to sweat over a possible lengthy SAG-AFTRA strike which is already blowing up the fall release calendar. We told you first last week this was going to happen. All major motion picture studios are assessing release date changes, the longer SAG-AFTRA strike goes on. Many want their stars to promote these films.
Sources tell me that studio executives are hoping to huddle with the National Association of Theatre Owners in an effort to get the word out there to SAG-AFTRA how a lengthy strike could really due to damage, not just to the motion picture business, but to exhibition itself after cinemas ate dirt during Covid. The news comes as No. 1 theater chain AMC is running out of cash. Cinemas can’t go through this again.
We told you that Oscar bait-adult demo titles that squarely hinge on actors’ promotions are the first titles to move off the calendar, which we saw immediately with MGM’s Zendaya, Luca Guadagnino directed Challengers last week heading from Sept 15 to the last weekend of April, and out of its Venice opening night premiere. To date, it’s the only major studio movie to get pulled from a festival.
Focus Features’ Ethan Coen road comedy, Drive-Away Dolls, I hear, won’t be making its way to the fall film festival troika of Venice, TIFF and Telluride. Festivals have expectations for talent to show up, and in the case of Drive-Away Dolls, Coen is a co-writer too and the WGA strike is going on. Focus Features’ The Holdovers and Sony’s Dumb Money can respectively have their directors Alexander Payne and Craig Gillespie do press at TIFF as they aren’t billed as writers on their films.
While Searchlight’s Emma Stone, Yorgos Lanthimos bender, Poor Things, dodged from Sept. 8 to Dec. 8, even with a star-less Venice Film Festival premiere, note the studio has launched big pics at Venice before for awards season and rode that wave to an early December launch, read 2010’s Black Swan.
Separately, Drive-Away Dolls is eyeing a move off its Sept. 22 release date, largely because it’s dated against awards bait title, Dumb Money, which will have the gas of TIFF behind it. New date for the Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Matt Damon, Pedro Pascal caper is TBD. If you glance at the Comscore calendar, Focus has Oct. 6 on hold for an untitled feature.
Now what’s up with Legendary/Warner Bros.’ Dune: Part Two. We told you it wouldn’t be shocking if the feature moved off its golden Nov. 3 theatrical release date. Denis Villeneuve got stiffed with Warner Media’s theatrical day and date experiment, which prevented the movie from being the Star Wars blockbuster it could have been; the pic still one of the highest grossing movies during the 2021 pandemic at $402M WW and several Oscar wins.
As of today, Dune: Part Two is not moving, but you if Zendaya with 200M social media followers can turn Challengers into a counterprogramming success, then she can certainly help in trumpeting the feature take of the Frank Herbert novel. Of course, it stands to reason that Villeneuve and Legendary are going to wait this sci-fi spectacle out; why would they allow it to become distribution collateral damage again?
I hear Legendary, which is the pilot seat here on the pic’s fate, is in wait and see mode, and has until September before Dune 2‘s next leg of marketing has to go.
If Dune: Part Two moves where does it go? I hear there are three spring options, and you just have to look at the release calendar: March, April or a break in the summer connected to a possible Cannes Film Festival launch. Warners already has the following dates on hold in regards to where Dune: Part Two could go: March 15 where Legendary has their next Godzilla/King Kong movie, April 19 which they have on reserve for an event title, or June 21 which is an untitled open slot for the Burbank lot.
But again, if AMPTP and SAG-AFTRA see eye-to-eye by Labor Day weekend, Dune: Part Two could stay exactly where it is on the calendar.
What about Wonka (Dec 15), Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (Dec. 20) and Color Purple (Christmas Day) moving to 2024? Still way too soon to call; but if these tentpoles are vulnerable to changes, so are others.
At this point in time we’re hearing there’s no truth to Apple Original Movies Killers of the Flower Moon (Oct. 6) and Napoleon (Nov. 22) getting qualifying theatrical runs over a wide release, their theatrical distribution handled by Paramount and Sony.
Legendary and Focus Features provided no comment on today’s news.
It’s a “Barbie” world. We’re all just living in it.
After a year and a half of hype, a whirlwind press tour and stellar advance reviews, Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” finally hit theaters this past weekend, smashing box-office records with a $162 million debut, the biggest of the year. That’s the highest-grossing opening weekend ever for a film directed by a woman, and though Gerwig had high hopes for “Barbie,” she can’t quite believe how well her unique spin on the Mattel doll has connected with a mass audience.
“I wanted to make something anarchic and wild and funny and cathartic,” a gob-smacked Gerwig told me over the phone on Tuesday, “and the idea that it’s actually being received that way, it’s sort of extraordinary.”
Few blockbusters these days have as much on their minds as “Barbie”; it is actually, to borrow a quote from “Clueless,” “way existential.” Underneath its candy-coated exterior, “Barbie” tackles issues like sexism and self-determination with aplomb, while never forgetting to supply its stars Margot Robbie (as Barbie) and Ryan Gosling (as Ken) with surprisingly witty jokes, some of which border on the arcane. (Who would have expected a punchline about the ’90s rock band Pavement in the “Barbie” movie?)
Gerwig is just happy she got away with all of it. “I think it was a particular ripple in the universe that allowed it to happen,” she told me from her home in New York City, where Harold, her 4-year-old son with Noah Baumbach, her co-writer on “Barbie,” interrupted the call to bring Gerwig’s press cycle to a definitive close. “He made a cake for me that was pink and had a ‘B’ on it, and he said, ‘This is how we say goodbye to Barbie,’” Gerwig said with a laugh. “I thought, ‘Oh, you’re done.’”
Here are edited excerpts from our conversation.
This interview contains spoilers for “Barbie.”
You just had one of the most consequential weekends of your life. How are you feeling?
I’m so grateful. I’m so amazed. I’m at a loss for words, really. I’ve been in New York City and spent Thursday and Friday just spot-checking different theaters, listening to the levels and making sure the picture looked nice and trying to relinquish control, which is difficult. But honestly, it’s been amazing to walk around and see people in pink. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine something like this. It’s just … it’s … sorry, I’m just disintegrating into noises.
What specific things helped you get a grasp on how much the film was resonating?
I think part of the reason I was so fixated on volume levels was because it was a thing I could concentrate on. But mostly, it’s been running into people on the street who are excited and happy and exuberant, because so much of this movie was an attempt to create something that people would want to experience together. So it’s the little things.
My producer David Heyman sent me an email from someone who lives in a tiny Scottish town, and there’s a movie theater there that has been struggling, and they had sold-out shows all weekend for “Barbie.” He was like, “The town is showing up!” And my brother and his sons and his wife all went in Sacramento and sent a picture, then they sent a text saying their oldest son was going back the next day with his friends. These 15- or 16-year-old boys from Sacramento are sending me texts saying, “It was great! We loved the Porsche joke!” Those are the things that feel so amazing. I’ve never quite had anything like this.
The thing I keep hearing from people in Hollywood is “I don’t know how she got away with it.” When a theatrically released movie is made at this budget level, anything idiosyncratic or challenging often gets whittled down by studio notes. How were you able to preserve your sensibility the whole way through this process?
I was originally meant to just write it with Noah, and then we finished the script and that was the thing that made me want to direct it. It felt so clear to me: If they didn’t want to make that [version], I didn’t need to make it. Margot, as the producer and star, was really the first person to line up and say, “I want to do it her way.” And then as we started adding collaborators and gathering more cast, suddenly there was a large number of people who were excited to do something that was this, excuse the pun, out of the box.
Part of me thinks that because it was all so idiosyncratic and so wild, it was almost like no one really knew where to start taking it apart. Like, where are you going to start hacking away at how strange it was? Maybe because there was this sense of sheer joy behind it, it was this hard thing to say, “Oh no, we don’t want that thing that’s sheer joy.” People wanted it to exist, in all its weirdness.
Even the movie’s inciting incident is pretty heady. I’m trying to imagine how the executives reacted when you told them, “Well, things really kick off when Barbie starts having irrepressible thoughts of death.”
I know! We had the idea of the movie starting off like this whirligig, and that line becomes something where she almost breaks the movie. And what do you do after you’ve broken the movie? Her character tries to just keep the movie going normally again, but there’s no way to do it. But yeah, I don’t know that anyone totally knew what the tone of this was going to be until it was all done. I mean, within the group of people who were deeply making it, we knew, but it was truly an act of faith for everyone else.
The first time I ever screened the movie for an audience, that line — “Do you guys ever think about dying?” — got a big laugh, and everybody who had been holding their breaths for a year and a half finally exhaled. The way it played was something I could always kind of hear in my head and see in my mind’s eye but outside that group that was there, it was a little bit of white-knuckling.
It’s been reported that Mattel executives flew to the London set to try to convince you to take out the scene where Sasha (Ariana Greenblatt), a teenage character from the real world, calls Barbie dolls sexist and fascist. True?
I will say, that’s always sounded so dramatic: They were coming anyway, so it wasn’t like, “Stop everything, we all have to go to London!” But with that scene in particular, my awareness of Barbie as a thing in the world completely corresponded with me knowing the arguments against Barbie. I didn’t think there was any way to do this without giving that real estate and having well-articulated, correct arguments from a really smart character given to Barbie against Barbie. Also, I grew up with a mom who was kind of against Barbie, so that’s how I knew all that. If you don’t give voice to that, then you’re nowheresville.
It wasn’t like I ever got the full seal of approval from [Mattel], like, “We love it!” I got a tentative, “Well, OK. I see that you are going to do this, so go ahead and we’ll see how it goes.” But that’s all you need, and I had faith once it was in there and they saw it that they would embrace it, not fight it. Maybe at the end of the day, my will to have it in was stronger than any other will to take it out.
That scene leads to one of my favorite unexpected jokes, when Barbie protests that she can’t be a fascist because she doesn’t control the railways or the flow of commerce.
There were several jokes where I was like, “This might be for three or seven people, but I will keep it in for them!” Here’s something else that will stick with me: When I was checking in on different screenings this weekend, there was another joke like that: “Remember Proust Barbie? That did not sell very well.” And there were, like, two people in this screening who died at that joke. I was like, “Yes! It was for you, and you got it. I’m so glad that I was here to see that work in the wild.”
When people ask whether “Barbie” is for kids or adults, those lines remind me of how when I was young, if I didn’t understand a joke that my parents laughed at, it sparked my curiosity.
I’ve never had such a sharp delineation in my mind between things that were made for adults and things that were made for children. I had parents who, blessedly, took me to and showed me lots of things, and sometimes there was even a double pleasure in things that were beyond me because it felt like a window into a world I was just starting to piece together. I always liked that feeling, so I thought it didn’t seem like a hindrance to a younger audience enjoying it.
One of the scenes that gets the biggest audience reaction is America Ferrera’s monologue about the tightrope that women have to walk in this society. What did you want out of that moment?
I always hoped that America would do this part, and I feel so lucky that she said yes. Over the course of a long time prepping it, we really embroidered it with her own specificity and talked about her experiences and her own life, and three takes in, I was crying. Then I looked around, and everyone was crying — even the men were tearing up. I suddenly thought that this tightrope she’s explaining is something that is present for women in the way that she’s describing it, but it’s also present for everybody.
Everybody is afraid they’re going to put a foot wrong and it’s all going to come crashing down, and in that moment of doing that monologue, she was giving people permission to step off that tightrope. I don’t think I realized until then that’s what that moment was for. She had a piece of the puzzle in her as an actor and collaborator and artist that explained it back to me.
Did you anticipate the degree to which right-wing pundits are bashing the movie as being “woke” and burning their Barbies?
No, I didn’t. Certainly, there’s a lot of passion. My hope for the movie is that it’s an invitation for everybody to be part of the party and let go of the things that aren’t necessarily serving us as either women or men. I hope that in all of that passion, if they see it or engage with it, it can give them some of the relief that it gave other people.
When did you know you’d figured out the final scene of the movie, where the now-human Barbie marches up to a real-world receptionist and announces that she’s there to see her gynecologist?
I wasn’t really certain until I was in rehearsals and reading it with Margot. I had a feeling of what I wanted it to be, but then she did it, and there was something so incredibly winning and hilarious and empathetic about the way she said that last line. I was like, “That’s it!” It’s so utterly sincere and silly at the same time.
In your mind, is this movie the start of a franchise, or do you feel “Barbie” is a complete story with a definitive ending?
At this moment, it’s all I’ve got. 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. I wouldn’t want to squash anybody else’s dream but for me, at this moment, I’m at totally zero.
“When America was giving her beautiful speech, I was just sobbing, and then I looked around and I realized everybody’s crying on the set,” Gerwig said. “The men are crying, too, because they have their own speech they feel they can’t ever give, you know? And they have their twin tightrope, which is also painful. There’s something about some of these structures that are just, you know, ‘Somebody make me stop!’ That’s sort of, I suppose, the feeling behind Ken.”
Ferrera previously revealed to Vanity Fair that it took two full days to film the monologue, in which her character Gloria, a Mattel employee, inspires Barbie to get back on her feet by railing against the many double standards women face on a daily basis.
“It was probably 30 to 50 full runs of it, top to bottom,” Ferrera said about filming the monologue. “By the end, [co-star Ariana Greenblatt] recited the monologue to me because she had memorized it because that’s how many times I had said it.”
“Neither one of us went into it feeling like it’s got to grow and crescendo to this big moment where you burst into tears or you’re laughing so hard you cry,” Ferrera added. “There were no targets to hit. It was much more a moment-to-moment drop in. Truly, every take was very different. There were takes that leaned into anger. There were takes that leaned into laughter. It really did, over the course of filming, find a shape. It was about just staying as present in the moment and just seeing really where the words would take it.”
In her interview with The Atlantic, Gerwig also touched upon the film’s ending. After Ken introduces Barbie Land to the patriarchy, Ferrera’s character and Margot Robbie’s Barbie team up to rally the rest of the Barbies to fight back. The film ends with Barbieland in somewhat of a hybrid state between Ken’s patriarchy and Barbie’s feminist utopia.
“We’re all still figuring things out — that’s part of it,” Gerwig said. “But the only thing I could ever give anyone is that they’re all still in the mess. Maybe it’s a little better for the Kens. You don’t want to tell people how to watch things, but at the end of the movie, the production design incorporates some of Ken’s fascinations into Barbie Land. Like, the perfection is not as beautiful as the thing that started blending everything together. I remember when we went to shoot the finale, when we all walked on set, we were like, This is the most beautiful it’s ever been.”
“Barbie” is now playing in theaters nationwide from Warner Bros.
The onset of the Marvel Cinematic Universe has been a hot-button issue among Hollywood luminaries. While directors such as Martin Scorsese, Quinten Tarantino, and Francis Ford Coppola have often derided the Marvel films and the affect that they had on the movie industry, other Hollywood veterans including Samuel L. Jackson, Natalie Portman, and Nic Cage have defended the films.
While Marvel films may be divisive, there is no controversy surrounding the artistic value of Christopher Nolan’s films. The Dark Knight director is wowing critics and audiences alike with his current film Oppenheimer.
Photo: THR
Challenging Robert Downey Jr.
Interestingly, the film stars Marvel stalwart Roberty Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission in perhaps his most important post-MCU role.
When casting Downey, Nolan challenged the actor to put down his movie star charisma and play a more grounded character. Nolan was amazed by the performance.
Photo: Universal Studios
“And to watch him just sort of go back to that geniuses as an actor. Just finding the truth in another human being and presenting it, and the things he does in the film, I think a lot of his fan base is going to be extremely surprised. It’s really cool to see somebody who’s achieved such greatness as a movie star, that pivot completely and stretch themselves in a way that a lot of people haven’t seen him do.”
“One of the Greatest Casting Decisions”
While Nolan may have wanted Downey to play a different kind of character for Oppenheimer, he had nothing but praise for the actor’s role in the MCU.
Photo: Marvel
“When [Jon] Favreau had the insight to cast him as Iron Man, I mean that’s … one of the greatest casting decisions in the history of movies. And you look at what that did and where that went with everything. I think that was Jon just knowing what an incredible actor, what incredible potential it was from Downey. And then the movie star charisma, that wonderful charisma comes into play,” he said.
Source: polygon.com
It is nice to hear a director of Nolan’s character praising the MCU, and especially recognizing Downey Jr.’s importance.
Could Downey Jr. Return to the MCU?
As for Tony Stark himself, while Iron Man sacrificed himself at the conclusion of Avengers: Endgame, Downey Jr.’s MCU journey may not be over yet.
Source: digitalspy.com
With Avengers: Secret Wars on the horizon, rumors continue to persist that Downey Jr. could return. While nothing has been confirmed, I know Marvel fans would love to see Tony Stark again on the big screen.
Thanks for visiting MickeyBlog.com! Want to go to Disney? For a FREE quote on your next Disney vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from MickeyTravels, a Diamond level Authorized Disney Vacation Planner, will be in touch soon! Also, thanks for reading!
As a fan of spooky things, and also fun, I of course love the Disney Parks’ Haunted Mansion rides. I want to go on more of them. I hear the ones in Paris and Shanghai and Tokyo are really cool. For fans of these rides, specifically the Disneyland one, Justin Simien’s Haunted Mansion movie has plenty of “Oh hey, it’s that from the ride!” moments. Katie Dippold’s script offers a surprising amount of tragedy to go along with the ghosts, which surprised and delighted. There’s even quite a few scare moments that just stay on the family side of the line. And yet, they felt like it needed to mostly be a weird comedy, too. Some of it worked, some did not.
If you’re someone like my mother, you might have asked “Why would they make another Haunted Mansion movie?” To which I’d reply, “Well, the 2003 Eddie Murphy version was notoriously terrible and people still love the theme park ride.” And it seems like this is the raison d’etre. After years of toying with whether they’d give Guillermo del Toro the keys to the spookiest house in Disney’s neighborhood, the company instead decided to play it very, very safe and effectively just retread a lot of the same ground as the first movie. A family moves in, ghosts haunt them, they have to “find a way out” out of the situation.
Disney
The family in question is Gabbie (Rosario Dawson) and her son Travis (Chase Dillion) who buy and move into the Gracey Mansion in Louisiana when they find it for cheap on Zillow. Uh oh, it’s very haunted, so they need some help. The seemingly exorbitantly wealthy single mother then assembles a Dream Team of ghost hunters, including the priest Kent (Owen Wilson), psychic medium Harriet (Tiffany Haddish), and professorial haunted house expert Bruce (Danny DeVito). However, chief among them is physicist-turned-tour guide Ben (LaKeith Stanfield) who had invented a spectral energy camera, prior to a personal tragedy. They have to figure out why the ghosts are so aggressive, and why ghosts follow them home.
In addition to all of these people are some of the ride’s more famous ghosts. We have the psychic-in-a-crystal-ball Madame Leota (Jamie Lee Curtis) who helps them, and the Hat-Box Ghost (Jared Leto) who is the movie’s main villain. Want your Black Widow husband killing ghost? She’s there. The portraits of the two guys killing each other in a duel? Here too. Long hallways, stretching rooms, hitchhiking ghosts, all in attendance. And some of them provide legitimately good scares, the likes of which I wasn’t expecting in a Disney movie.
Disney
I’d love to say the movie works all the time. Stanfield gives a remarkably grounded, touching performance as a man dealing with profound grief. All good ghost stories have to have an element of sadness, and this one doesn’t shy away from that. The ghosts are never played for laughs, either, which I think is incredibly smart. The Haunted Mansion ride is fun-spooky. It needs to keep that kind of “ooh!” For the most part, this movie does that. And we learn about the ghosts and their history and how to end this weird curse. The plot and emotion are all there.
However, the biggest issue is they hedged their bets by making it a studio comedy. Haddish, Wilson, and DeVito all have chops for days, and some of what they have to say and do is really funny. Especially Wilson, who has some legitimately funny moments. But did we need them? Did this movie need to be a comedy full of improvised or extended jokes? We also get a number of big-name cameos doing especially silly things. Honestly, it felt like Simien (who directed Bad Hair previously) and Dippold (who wrote 2016’s Ghostbusters) had battling sensibilities that ended up both coming out in the finished film. I know I’m a horror guy first and foremost and others’ mileage may vary, but it just felt unbalanced.
Disney
I also need to point out some truly bizarre product placement. Every movie has product placement, but because this movie takes place in an old house, it’s harder to have new products just sitting around. So at various points in the movie, one of the characters will say a store or business by name. I don’t know if I’ve ever noticed it to this degree. It happens at some truly inappropriate times and pulled me right out of the story.
Haunted Mansion is not a train wreck or anything. It’s enjoyable enough. Family horror was something I grew up with and I miss it. I don’t think Hocus Pocus 2 was good at all, and this is much, much better than that. I think it could have been very good if it had let some of the zanier comedy fall by the wayside and embrace the family drama and spooky thrills. Stanfield is doing some amazing work here and I think that alone needs recognition. But I think the movie is not funny enough to warrant so much attempted comedy, especially when the ghost elements work so well on their own. Let the grim, grinning ghosts socialize without lame attempts at comedy getting in the way.
As August 2023 approaches, Peacock has announced the lineup of TV shows and movies coming to the platform in the upcoming month. And that includes one of the biggest movies of the year thus far.
On August 3, The Super Mario Bros. Movie will be available to stream via Peacock. The record-breaking box office hit was a major commercial success, but what is the animated movie actually about? The original games were never exactly about their stories in the first place; the movie sees a pair of entrepreneurial brothers whose family plumbing business is struggling, but such mundane concerns are quickly forgotten when they go down the wrong pipe in the sewers, are transported to the Mushroom Kingdom, and must save the princess. GameSpot’s Phil Owen wrote in his review earlier this year that “more than just another cartoon comedy, The Super Mario Bros. Movie is a surprisingly great action flick.”
Coming to Peacock on August 17 is Season 2 of Killing It, a sitcom exploring class, capitalism, and a man’s quest for the American Dream. In this sitcom revolving around class and capitalism, we follow Craig Foster, a Miami bank security guard struggling to make ends meet. Co-parenting his pre-teen daughter, Vanessa, with his ex-wife, Camille, Craig yearns to fulfill his dreams of becoming an entrepreneur. However, a chance encounter with Jillian, a ride-hailing driver involved in state-sponsored python hunting, alters his course. Determined to achieve the American Dream, Craig embarks on a comedic and wild journey, overcoming challenges from criminals, untamed nature, and corporate America. The show stars Craig Robinson, Claudia O’Doherty, Rell Battle, Scott MacArthur, Stephanie Nogueras, Wyatt Walter, and Jet Miller.
A variety of older movies hit the service on August 1, including 21 Jump Street, 8 Mile, Jerry Maguire, Minions, Animal House, Pineapple Express, and Neighbors.
Below is a list of all the content coming to Peacock in August. You can also check out our lists for Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and Max. August will be a more expensive month for Peacock viewers–a price hike goes into effect for both new and existing subscribers.
New to Peacock August 2023
August 1
2012, 2009
21 Jump Street, 2012
8 Mile, 2002
Admission, 2013
Along Came Polly, 2004
The Best Man, 1999
The Best Man Holiday, 2013
Bowfinger, 1999
Casa de mi Padre, 2012
The Change-Up, 2011
Colombiana, 2011
The Croods, 2012
Dazed and Confused, 1993
Deep Impact, 1998
Definitely, Maybe, 2008
Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, 2012
Enough, 2002
Fanboys, 2009
For a Good Time, Call…, 2012
Greenberg, 2010
How to Train Your Dragon 2, 2014
The Interview, 2014
It’s Complicated, 2009
Jerry Maguire, 1996
Marmaduke, 2010
Minions, 2015
National Lampoon’s Animal House, 1978
Neighbors, 2014
The Nutty Professor, 1996
Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, 2000
Our Idiot Brother, 2011
Over the Hedge, 2006
Pineapple Express, 2008
R.I.P.D., 2013
The Replacements, 2000
Safe House, 2012
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, 2010
Self/Less, 2015
Sex Drive, 2008
Shark Tale, 2004
Shrek Forever After, 2010
Ted 2, 2015
There’s Something About Mary, 1998
Tower Heist, 2011
Wanderlust, 2012
What Happens in Vegas, 2008
When Girls Ride, 2023
Zack and Miri Make a Porno, 2008
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
American Ninja Warrior, Season 15, New Episode (NBC)
Below Deck: Deck Down Under, Season 2, New Episodes (Bravo)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – China v. England (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Haiti v. Denmark (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Portugal v. USA (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Vietnam v. Netherlands (Spanish)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 14 (Peacock Original)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Snapped: Killer Couples, Season 17, New Episode (Oxygen)
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
World Para Swimming Championships – Day 2
August 2
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Argentina v. Sweden (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Jamaica v. Brazil (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Panama v. France (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – South Africa v. Italy (Spanish)
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Best Builds, Season 1, New Episode (NBC)
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge, Season 1, New Episode (NBC)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
World Para Swimming Championships – Day 3
August 3
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
The Big D, Season 1, New Episode (USA)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – Morocco vs. Colombia (Spanish)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ – South Korea vs. Germany (Spanish)
Hart to Heart, Season 3, Episodes 9 & 10 (Peacock Original)
LA Fire & Rescue, Season 1 New Episode (NBC)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 15 (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour & Ladies European Tour – Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open – Round 1
The Northman, 2022
PGA TOUR – Wyndham Championship – Round 1
Pro Football Hall of Fame Game – Cleveland Browns vs. New York Jets
The Real Housewives of Orange County, Season 17, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
The Super Mario Bros. Movie, 2023
Temptation Island, Season 5, New Episode (USA)
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
World Para Swimming Championships – Day 4
August 4
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
IndyCar – Practice 1 – Nashville
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 16 (Peacock Original)
LPGA & Ladies European Tour – Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open – Round 2
PGA Tour – Wyndham Championship – Round 2
Project Runway, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Project Runway: After Show, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
USA Track and Field – Memphis Ed Murphy Classic
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
World Para Swimming Championships – Day 5
August 5
Dateline, Season 31, New Episode (NBC)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Round of 16
IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo – Road America
IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge – Road America
IMSA WeatherTech Championship – Road America
IndyCar – Practice 2 & Qualifying – Nashville
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 17 (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour & Ladies European Tour – Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open – Round 3
NASCAR Xfinity Series Race – Michigan
PGA TOUR – Wyndham Championship – Round 3
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
U.S. Classic Gymnastics – Senior
World Para Swimming Championships – Day 6
WWE SummerSlam
August 6
Chasing Gold: Paris, Season 1, New Episode (NBC)
Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer, Season 5, New Episode (Litton)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Round of 16
Furry Friends Forever: Elmo Gets a Puppy, 2021
IndyCar Race – Nashville
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 18 (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour & Ladies European Tour – Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open – Final Round
Making Waves, 2023 (Hallmark)
MLB Sunday Leadoff – Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians
NASCAR Cup Series – Post Race – Michigan
PGA TOUR – Wyndham Championship – Final Round
U.S. Classic Gymnastics – Senior
World Para Swimming Championships – Day 7
August 7
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
Celebrity Prank Wars, Season 1, New Episodes (E!)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Round of 16
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 19 (Peacock Original)
Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 15, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta: After Show, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 14, New Episode (Bravo)
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
When Calls the Heart, Season 10, New Episode (Hallmark)
August 8
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
American Ninja Warrior, Season 15, New Episode (NBC)
Below Deck: Deck Down Under, Season 2, New Episodes (Bravo)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Round of 16
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 20 (Peacock Original)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Snapped: Killer Couples, Season 17, New Episode (Oxygen)
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
August 9
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge Best Builds, Season 1, New Episode (NBC)
Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge, Season 1, New Episode (NBC)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 21 (Peacock Original)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Temptation Island, Season 5, New Episode (USA)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Round of 64
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
August 10
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
The Big D, Season 1, New Episode (USA)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Quarterfinal
LA Fire & Rescue, Season 1 New Episode (NBC)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 22 (Peacock Original)
PGA TOUR – FedEx St. Jude Championship – Round 1
The Real Housewives of Orange County, Season 17, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Temptation Island, Season 5, New Episode (USA)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Round of 16
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
August 11
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Quarterfinal
IndyCar – Practice & Qualifying – Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Indy NXT Race –Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 23 (Peacock Original)
PGA TOUR Champions – Boeing Classic – Round 1
PGA TOUR – FedEx St. Jude Championship – Round 2
Premier League Match
Project Runway, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Project Runway: After Show, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf – Quarterfinals
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
August 12
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
Big Sky River: The Bridal Path (Hallmark)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Quarterfinals
IndyCar Final Warm-Up & Race – Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 24 (Peacock Original)
PGA TOUR Champions – Boeing Classic – Round 2
PGA TOUR – FedEx St. Jude Championship – Round 3
Premier League Matches
Pro Motocross – Unadilla
Race Day Live – Unadilla
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Semifinals
August 13
AIG Women’s British Open
A Safari Romance, 2023 (Hallmark)
Earth Odyssey with Dylan Dreyer, Season 5, New Episode (Litton)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 25 (Peacock Original)
MLB Sunday Leadoff – Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox
NASCAR Cup Series Post Show – Indianapolis
PGA TOUR Champions – Boeing Classic – Final Round
PGA TOUR – FedEx St. Jude Championship – Final Round
Premier League Matches
U.S. Women’s Amateur Golf Championship Match
August 14
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 26 (Peacock Original)
Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
Premier League Match
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 15, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta: After Show, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 14, New Episode (Bravo)
Watch What Happens Live, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
When Calls the Heart, Season 10, New Episode (Hallmark)
August 15
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
American Ninja Warrior, Season 15, New Episode (NBC)
Below Deck: Deck Down Under, Season 2, New Episodes (Bravo)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Semifinal
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 27 (Peacock Original)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Snapped: Killer Couples, Season 17, New Episode (Oxygen)
August 16
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Semifinal
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
U.S. Amateur Golf – Round of 64
August 17
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
The Big D, Season 1, New Episode (USA)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
DP World Tour & LPGA Tour ISPS Handa World Invitational – Round 1
The House, 2017
Killing It, Season 2, All 8 Episodes (Peacock Original)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 28 (Peacock Original)
PGA TOUR – BMW Championship – Round 1
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Temptation Island, Season 5, New Episode (USA)
U.S. Amateur Golf – Round of 32
August 18
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
Chris Fleming: Hell, 2023 (Peacock Original)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
DP World Tour & LPGA Tour ISPS Handa World Invitational – Round 2
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 29 (Peacock Original)
PGA TOUR – BMW Championship – Round 2
Premier League Match
Project Runway, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Project Runway: After Show, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
U.S. Amateur Golf – Quarterfinals
August 19
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 1
A Safari Romance, 2023 (Hallmark)
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
DP World Tour & LPGA Tour ISPS Handa World Invitational – Round 3
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – 3rd Place Match
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 30 (Peacock Original)
PGA TOUR – BMW Championship – Round 3
PGA TOUR Champions – Shaw Charity Classic – Round 2
Premier League Matches
Pro Motocross – Budds Creek
Race Day Live – Budds Creek
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Stand Up to Cancer (NBC)
U.S. Amateur Golf – Semifinals
August 20
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 2
DP World Tour & LPGA Tour ISPS Handa World Invitational – Final Round
FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023™ (Spanish) – Final
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 31 (Peacock Original)
MLB Sunday Leadoff – Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros
NASCAR Cup Series Post Show – Watkins Glen
Never Too Late to Celebrate, 2023 (Hallmark)
PGA TOUR – BMW Championship – Final Round
PGA TOUR Champions – Shaw Charity Classic – Final Round
Premier League Matches
U.S. Amateur Golf – Finals
August 21
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 3
Black Pop: Celebrating the Power of Black Culture, Season 1, New Episodes (E!)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 32 (Peacock Original)
Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
Premier League Match
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 15, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta: After Show, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 14, New Episode (Bravo)
When Calls the Heart, Season 10, New Episode (Hallmark)
August 22
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 4
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
American Ninja Warrior, Season 15, New Episode (NBC)
Below Deck: Deck Down Under, Season 2, New Episodes (Bravo)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
LIGA MX Soccer – Chivas vs. Tijuana
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 33 (Peacock Original)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 15, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Snapped, Season 32, New Episode (Oxygen)
August 23
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 5
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
PGA TOUR – Tour Championship – Charity Event
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
August 24
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 6
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Downton Abbey: A New Era, 2022
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 34 (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour – CP Women’s Open – Round 1
PGA TOUR Championship – Round 1
The Real Housewives of Orange County, Season 17, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Temptation Island, Season 5, New Episode (USA)
U.S. Gymnastics Championships – Men’s Competition
August 25
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 7
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
The Comeback, 1978
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 35 (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour – CP Women’s Open – Round 2
PGA TOUR Championship – Round 2
Premier League Match
Project Runway, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Project Runway: After Show, Season 20, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
U.S. Gymnastics Championships – Women’s Competition
August 26
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 8
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
IMSA – VIR #1 – WeatherTech
IndyCar Race – World Wide Technology Raceway
Indy NXT Race – World Wide Technology Raceway
La Vuelta a Espana Cycling – Stage 1
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Love Island USA, Season 5, Episode 36 (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour – CP Women’s Open – Round 3
NASCAR Cup Series Race – Daytona
Notre Dame Football v. Navy (Live from Ireland)
PGA TOUR Championship – The Ally Challenge – Round 2
PGA TOUR Championship – Round 3
Premier League Matches
Pro Motocross – Ironman
Race Day Live – Ironman
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Super Motocross – Race Day Live – Ironman – Round 28
U.S. Gymnastics Championships – Men’s Competition
August 27
2023 World Track & Field Championships – Day 9
IMSA Lamborghini Super Trofeo – VIR
IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge – VIR
Korn Ferry Tour – Albertsons Boise Open – Final Round
La Vuelta a Espana Cycling – Stage 2
Love Island USA, Season 5, Final Episode (Peacock Original)
LPGA Tour – CP Women’s Open – Final Round
MLB Sunday Leadoff – Los Angeles Angels at New York Mets
Napa Ever After, 2023 (Hallmark)
PGA TOUR Champions – The Ally Challenge – Final Round
PGA TOUR Championship 2023 – Final Round
Premier League Matches
U.S. Gymnastics Championships – Women’s Competition
August 28
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
La Vuelta a Espana Cycling – Stage 3
The Real Housewives of Atlanta, Season 15, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of Atlanta: After Show, Season 1, New Episode (Bravo)
The Real Housewives of New York City, Season 14, New Episode (Bravo)
When Calls the Heart, Season 10, New Episode (Hallmark)
August 29
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
American Ninja Warrior, Season 15, New Episode (NBC)
Below Deck: Deck Down Under, Season 2, New Episode (Bravo)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
La Vuelta a Espana Cycling – Stage 4
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Real Murders of Orange County, Season 3, New Episode (Oxygen)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Snapped, Season 32, New Episode (Oxygen)
August 30
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
La Vuelta a Espana Cycling – Stage 5
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
August 31
Access Hollywood, Season 27, New Episode (NBC)
America’s Got Talent, Season 18, New Episode (NBC)
Days of Our Lives, Season 58, New Episode (Peacock Exclusive)
Diamond League Track & Field – Zurich
LPGA Tour – Amazing Portland Classic – Round 1
La Vuelta a Espana Cycling – Stage 6
Los 50, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
The Real Housewives of Orange County, Season 17, New Episode (Bravo)
Secretos de Sangre, Season 1, New Episode (Telemundo)
The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors.
GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.
It’s not as if New Orleans necessarily needs to gift the world any more culture than it already has. But the birthplace of jazz music, Gullah cuisine and writers ranging from Anne Rice to John Kennedy Toole is quickly becoming—in addition to its many other virtues—something of an indie film hotspot. From platforming local creators to providing a can’t-miss stop along the international auteur circuit, NOLA’s film festival scene is in the middle of an epic flex.
Chief among these, the city’s namesake New Orleans Film Festival has been bringing the best independent cinema to the ochre shores of the Mississippi River since 1989. This week, Film Independent’s Festival Visions series—our ongoing spotlight of the best programming picks from regional and specialty festivals nationwide—continues, with an online showing of the LGBTQIA+ short documentary House of Tulip, screening online and for free, July 27-28.
Visit our events page for more details and find our Festival Visions Q&A playlist on YouTube.
To learn a little bit more about the NOFF and its place in the cultural tapestry of the Big Easy, we spoke to New Orleans Film Society Artistic Director Clint Bowie. The 2023 New Orleans Film Festival will happen later this year, November 2-12.
NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL
Please tell us a little bit about the city of New Orleans and what the local film scene is like.
Bowie: The area, located on the ancestral and unceded lands of the Houma, Choctaw and Chitimacha people, is home to a truly vibrant and diverse independent film culture. This community shows up in a big way at the festival, welcoming guests from out of town and cheering on their fellow artists showing new work. There’s really no other city like NewOrleans, and the film community here matches that unique and exceptional quality, from Oscar nominees like Lauren Domino and Josh Penn, to rising auteurs like Zandashé Brown and Nicholas Manuel Pino. It’s a city ripe with talent, and it’s heartening to see how supportive the community is.
When did the New Orleans Film Festival begin? Who started it and when?
Bowie: NewOrleans Film Festival was started in 1989 by a group of film enthusiasts looking to bring more independent films to the region. Since that time, the festival has grown into a year-round entity that not only mounts NOFF annually, but also invests in regional storytellers through a suite of development programs and grants with an emphasis on serving those who have been historically denied access to arts funding.
Does your festival have a specific focus or specialty?
Bowie: Over half of our lineup is dedicated to platforming stories from artists based in the region we’re in, the American South. We feel it’s important to support stories about the region that are being made by makers from the region. Artists often reveal what the media doesn’t: resilient communities that embrace progressive ideals, value cultural strengths, communities connecting across differences, fighting for social justice and espousing an increasingly intersectional view of what it means to be Southern. That’s important to us, and we want to ensure that these authentic stories are given the appropriate context to be experienced.
A scene from the 2019 New Orleans Film Festival (source: New Orleans Film Society)
Talk about your programming philosophy. Are there any past films you’re especially proud to have showcased?
Bowie: We program with values at the fore of our process—that extends to who is involved in that process. Our programming team comprises 16 programmers and four programming fellows, and we approach the selection process as a collective, with small groups tackling individual categories alongside volunteer screeners, who provide additional feedback to the process. No single voice is louder or more powerful than anyone else’s. A few years back, we codified a list of priorities and values to serve as a programming roadmap for where to turn when we get lost, and this document is publicly available on our website for all potential submitters to read before deciding to share their work. Every year, the lineup represents a journey we’ve all been on together—I’m so deeply proud of the way my fellow programmers approach the work and bring so much of themselves into the process. That, to me, is why I’ve continued to do this for 15 years.
What has been your favorite festival memory at New Orleans or any other film festival?
Bowie: So many… I am constantly reminded of the power of watching Garrett Bradley’s film TIME premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020; it was definitely one of the most moving filmgoing experiences I’ve ever had. I had a similar reaction to viewing the film Blackbird at the Crossroads Film Festival in Jackson, Mississippi, back in 2015, in a room full of people who were connected in some way to the film, shot in nearby Hattiesburg. There was such pride in the room, it moved me to tears. But outside of crying in darkened theaters, I’ve also been fortunate to forge some lasting relationships while at film festivals with people I’ve met in line to screenings, over drinks at receptions and in shuttles to and from film events. I have festivals to thank for so many friendships that I hold dear.
Advice for filmmakers to make the most of their festival experience.
Bowie: Talking to strangers is never easy, but it’s how to get the most out of a film festival. Whether it’s introducing yourself to a fellow filmmaker, staying after a panel to meet the speakers, or starting a conversation with someone in the filmmaker lounge, film festivals offer lots of opportunities to build your community and expand your film’s audience. But if often requires that first proactive introduction to someone you don’t already know.
What is the attendee experience like?
Bowie: We try to make NOFF a very warm and nurturing space—for artists to be themselves and for audiences to experience cinema in deep, meaningful ways. It’s a place where we hope all filmgoers can see themselves and their stories represented on screen in a nuanced way, where community is built, and where connections and memories are made.
Film Independent promotes unique independent voices, providing a wide variety of resources to help filmmakers create and advance new work. Learn more online and become a Member of Film Independent today.
Geoff Rickly is an artist who is constantly expressing himself. He rose to fame in his early 20s as the singer of post-hardcore band Thursday, and his energetic stage presence brought the quintet a wave of buzz as both intellectual rockers and an essential live act. Although Thursday broke up in 2011 after a string of critically-acclaimed records, Rickly has taken up vocal and songwriting duties in groups like No Devotion and United Nations — and even reunited Thursday a couple of times, including a recent run opening for My Chemical Romance’s arena tour and playing standalone shows and festival dates.
But Rickly’s newest project is a novel with plenty of grounding in the real world. “Someone Who Isn’t Me,” out today from Rose Books, is an autofiction dive into his struggles with heroin and treatment, and his deconstruction of self along the way. Rickly spoke with Variety about why this was a story he had to tell, the recent popularity of the emo scene, and the future of Thursday.
Your prose feels like a natural extension of your lyrics. How did you land on this style of writing for “Someone Who Isn’t Me”?
I had a friend who said, “The way you’re writing is, in a way, quite out of fashion with the modern literary movement,” which is very restrained and has a sort of quiet precision — the Rachel Cusk school of writing. And I love all that stuff. But he said, “I understand why you had to write this book in this style if you’re going to have a character of Geoff from Thursday: There’s got to be some sort of a dialogue with the lyricism.” I tried to do that through whether or not he was high. If he’s high, the character of Geoff is in the lyrical mode. When he’s in withdrawal, he pulled it back.
What made you want to tell this story through a novel?
Novels are the art form that I lose myself in the most. Pretty much from the time I started touring, it became novels, novels, novels as the way I passed time on tour. So I always wanted to take a stab at it, but I just never thought I had a story that felt interesting enough to be an entire book. At first, I thought maybe there could be a new Thursday album to come out of it. I have never been a fan of memoirs, but the more I wrote about it, I thought, “It’s going to be too obvious in the way that I’m writing about it,” so I thought, OK, I’m just going to make it really uncomfortable, make the character named Geoff.
What made you want to be so open and honest about your struggles?
I have an interesting relationship with vulnerability. I think people would say the best art that I’ve made is from some of the most vulnerable aspects of my life. There are things about my viewpoint on the world that were so raw and naked on display, talking about things that were so uncomfortable, and they just resonated in a way that I thought, “OK, it’s time to put everything into it.” With fiction, I could say, “Well, it’s not really me, it’s a character of me,” and nobody knows how true or not true this is. So many things I wrote and said, “That’s too much, I went too far — I’ll take it out later.” I just went back to it in the end and thought in for a penny, in for a pound.
There’s been a resurgence in the emo music scene, with the When We Were Young festival making headlines and groups like Paramore and My Chemical Romance going on arena tours. As the leader of a band who made an impact on that scene, why do you think it’s having such a pop culture moment?
I’ve read a lot of cultural commentary about how culture is stuck and instead of doing new forms, we’re repeating franchises, like blockbusters, right now. I think some people would see our wave as one of the very last waves that happened. So it’s sort of fresh and people like that it’s the newest thing that we’ve got, even though it’s 20 years old now. A lot of this music is still very vital and it feels like it it never fully cracked the mainstream the first time, but it became incredibly influential for rappers and pop artists.
Even the two biggest bands that broke through, My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy, they weren’t that big at the time. The very last My Chemical Romance tour, we went on it with them and it was playing places that Thursday had headlined when we were at our biggest. So it had to get digested by culture, where Taylor Swift is writing stuff that’s almost like emo, and Paramore has become part of the pop mainstream. It took a little time for it to bubble, and now I think that’s part of why it’s come back so big. The mainstream never really got a taste of it the first time.
Is there potential for Thursday to record new music together?
Thursday may have more music to come, but do we have full albums? I’m not going to push myself to write a Thursday album at this point in my life because I don’t want to fake it. I have a great catalog of work with this band that I love. I’d rather have anything that we add from here on is a true entry into that catalog, rather than an older guy pretending he’s still got the same amount of vulnerable pain and heartbreak that he did when he was a kid.
I’m always open to inspiration. If something great comes along, we’ll put it out. And if it doesn’t, we won’t, and I’m at peace with either of those things. That being said, I do want to get into more of a habit of writing with Thursday, just as an artistic practice that we can all enjoy because we stayed together for 26 years. We should let ourselves write and not judge the results, not discontinue the practice.
Beyond Thursday, what new projects are you hoping to focus on next — No Devotion? United Nations? Another book?
No Devotion is the one thing I know we’ll keep making because we just love it so much. I’m not holding out hope that someday people will discover it and be like, “Holy shit, how do we sleep on this band?” But it doesn’t matter — I love this band, so that’ll definitely keep going. United Nations, I’ve been starting to think like we should bring that back. I really enjoyed that band — it’s so carefree and fun.
I will keep writing, but I don’t know when another book will come because it took me five years to write this one. Five years, five hours a day, five days a week — something like six or seven thousand hours of writing. It’s an unbelievable amount of work, so I might take a year off from writing, just because I really feel called to make more music right now.
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The ride is set in a large, creaky mansion that is rumored to be haunted by the ghosts of its former residents. Riders are led through a series of rooms, each of which is decorated with creepy props and features a different ghostly encounter. Some of the most famous scenes in the ride include the Ballroom, where a group of ghosts are dancing, the Conservatory, where a casket floats in mid-air, and Madame Leota’s Séance Room, where a disembodied head floats in a crystal ball. Someone at Disney decided this was enough substance to turn this into a feature film. Not sure why.
Disney’s Haunted Mansion film, helmed by Justin Simien and penned by Katie Dippold, is a horror-comedy ride based on the famous Disneyland attraction. However, the ride this film takes you on is less of an enchanting journey and more of a haphazard tour through a dilapidated amusement park. The movie stars Lakeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny Devito, and Chase Dillion.
Haunted Mansion begins with Ben Matthais (Stanfield) at a party where he meets his future wife Alyssa (Charity Jordan). He’s an astrophysicist and she gives ghost tours throughout New Orleans. Years later, he’s slumped over drunk at a bar, seemingly given up his science career to run the ghost tours himself as Alyssa isn’t around anymore to do them. On the other side of town, Gabbie (Dawson) and her son Travis (Dillion) arrive at an old mansion ready to move in. Her son feels something ominous in the air, while Gabbie walks through the house as if the cobwebs, broken floors, and scary paintings with moving eyes aren’t a problem. However, the pair discover the place is haunted when a suit of armor follows them around the house. This incident sends them running for the hills.
Father Kent (Wilson) arrives at Ben’s home to ask for help on behalf of mother and son. It seems Ben created a special camera that sees spectral energy and they need it to help prove the presence of paranormal activity in her home so she can be rid of it. After being paid, the former scientist meets the duo at the home and of course thinks they are crazy. After finding nothing suspicious, he returns to his home where he witnesses the apparition of a Mariner who won’t leave him alone no matter where he goes. Now he has to return to the mansion where Gabbie, Travis, Father Kent, local Medium Harriet (Haddish), and historian Bruce Davis (Devito) are also forced to stay. The group must put their heads together and figure out what’s causing this ghostly infestation before they are trapped in there forever.
Haunted Mansion starts with promise, offering laughs and clever quips that promise a light-hearted romp through a spooky narrative. It tries to be existential as the story touches upon the theme of grief and the lingering effects it can have on individuals. However, this thematic exploration isn’t a priority in the script which leads to a missed opportunity for emotional depth. The initial charm from the start of the film is replaced by a conventional and predictable storyline that feels hurried, thus creating a narrative jumble that seems thrown together rather than carefully constructed.
Credit should be given to Darren Gilford’s production design as it is a faithful replica of the iconic ride. Gilford’s designs are aided by the generous use of practical effects, which do conjure up a spectral atmosphere similar to what visitors would see during the Haunted Mansion tour. Although not always seamless, the special effects also offer a nostalgic homage to the original ride that can be a fun experience for audiences familiar with the theme park’s version.
Lakeith Stanfield, renowned for his dramatic roles, is an odd choice for the lead in this family-oriented film. He’s acting like he’s in The Shawshank Redemption rather than a Disney comedy. He doesn’t even pretend to be enjoying himself here, while in contrast, Rosario Dawson and Chase Dillion deliver performances that strike the right chord for the film’s tone. Their chemistry is genuine and their relaxed approach brings a playful air to the narrative.
Also, the choices of wigs are bizarre and off-putting. Despite Dawson and Stanfield having perfectly fine hair, they are saddled with synthetic wigs that gave me more of a laugh than any of the comedic one-liners throughout the film. Bad hair is a distraction instead of an enhancement and audiences are beginning to notice these details. Good hair and wigs matters!
Disney’s Haunted Mansion is a fair enough choice for a family night in, experienced from the comfort of your couch, where the flaws are less glaring and the price of admission for Disney+ is cheaper. It has its moments, especially if you are a fan of the original Disneyland ride. However, the $15.99 ticket price for a movie theater experience in New York City feels steep for a movie that struggles to consistently deliver the laughter and chills one would expect.
Title:Haunted Mansion Distributor: Disney Release date: July 28, 2023 Director: Justin Simien Screenwriter: Kate Dippold Cast: Lakeith Stanfield, Rosario Dawson, Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, Danny Devito, and Chase Dillion Rating: PG-13 Running time: 2 hr 5 min
Season Five of Virgin River features surprising new relationships, a shocking break-up, a difficult court trial, a heartbreaking goodbye, and a wildfire that threatens the town, bringing some people of Virgin River together while tearing others apart. Issues of motherhood push Mel to make a big decision about her future at the clinic while her pregnancy unexpectedly sparks an emotional connection to her past. To further prove himself to Mel, Jack squares off with some long-overdue confrontations–with his own demons, and of course, Charmaine. And as Doc and Hope’s respective impairments throw their identities into question, the doctor and the mayor must find solace in their community, in their young new family, and in each other
Developed by Sue Tenney based on the books by Robyn Carr, Virgin River centers on a nurse practitioner (Breckenridge), who moves to the remote California town of Virgin River and finds that life there isn’t as simple as she expected.
Series regular cast also includes Tim Matheson, Annette O’Toole, Colin Lawrence, Benjamin Hollingsworth, Zibby Allen, Sarah Dugdale, Marco Grazzini, Mark Ghanimé, Kai Bradbury and Kandyse McClure.
Additional cast includes Lauren Hammersley, Teryl Rothery, Nicola Cavendish, Gwynyth Walsh, Christina Jastrzembska, Stacey Farber, Jenny Cooper, Lucia Walters, Steve Bacic, Libby Osler, Keith MacKechnie, Barbara Pollard, Trevor Lerner, Ellie Harvie, Darcy Laurie, Sandy Robson, Lexa Doig, Chase Petriw, Emma Oliver, Michelle Addison, Miranda Edwards and Gabrielle Jacinto.
Snap, still wrestling with softer ad sales amid stiff competition in the digital advertising sector, saw its top line drop 4% in the second quarter of 2023 — and while it managed to beat Wall Street earnings estimates, the Snapchat owner’s stock fell on a weaker-than-expected Q3 outlook.
For Q2, the company reported revenue of $1.07 billion and a net loss of $377 million million, or an adjusted loss of 2 cents per share. It was the second quarter in a row of revenue decline, after Snap sales were off 7% in Q1. For the most recent quarter, Wall Street was expecting the social media and messaging app company to post revenue of $946.7 million and an adjusted net loss of 4 cents per share.
At the same time, Snapchat’s user base continues to grow: In Q2, the app added 14 million daily active users on average in the quarter to hit 397 million (up from 383 million DAUs in Q1 and an increase of 14% year over year).
In discussing its Q3 guidance, Snap said, “From a revenue perspective, our business remains in a period of rapid transition as we work to improve our advertising platform, while forward visibility of advertising demand remains limited.” The company estimated third-quarter revenue will be flat to down by 5%, and that adjusted earnings will be between negative $50 million and negative $100 million. That reflects “estimated infrastructure costs” per daily active user of $0.79 to $0.84 in Q3, as Snap said it is investing in machine learning, AI and other infrastructure “to improve the performance of our ad platform, drive deeper content engagement and bring innovative product experiences to our community.”
On the poor Q3 outlook, Snap shares were down more than 17% in after-hours trading.
“We are excited by the progress we have made delivering increased return on investment for our advertising partners, growing our community to 397 million daily active users, and reaching more than 4 million Snapchat+ subscribers,” CEO Evan Spiegel said in announcing the Q2 results.
Theatre fans! You only have a few more chances to see Kander and Ebb’s New York, New York before it leaves the Broadway stage. The musical is is set to close at the St. James Theatre on Sunday, July 30. New York, New York hit the Broadway stage for previews on Mar 24, 2023 and officially opened on Apr 26. The news of the show closing signals an abbreviated end to the 1940s set musical. Deadline announced the news of its impending arrival in August 2022.
The show is based on the 1977 Martin Scorcese film of the same name which starred Robert De Niro and Liza Minnelli. Although the characters from the movie don’t make the transfer into the Broadway adaptation, four Kander and Ebb songs were used in Scorsese’s film including the show’s titular track.
The Broadway cast features the talents of Colton Ryan as Jimmy Doyle, Anna Uzele as Francine Evans, Clyde Alves as Tommy Caggiano, John Clay III as Jesse Webb, Janet Dacal as Sofia Diaz, Ben Davis as Gordon Kendrick, Oliver Prose as Alex Mann, Angel Sigala as Mateo Diaz, and Emily Skinner as Madame Veltri. Producers include Sonia Friedman (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, The Ferryman) and Tom Kirdahy (Inheritance).
New York, New York scored nine nominations at this year’s 76th Tony Awards including by not limited to Ryan for ‘Best Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical’ and Susan Stroman for ‘Best Choreography’, but the flashy musical only brought home one award which was given to Beowulf Boritt for ‘Best Scenic Design in a Musical.’
The news of its closing follows the previously-made announcement of a strike that was about to be called into effect by the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) against The Broadway League and Disney Theatrical. According to Playbill, the strike has since been averted after the parties came to a temporary agreement.
Are you planning on seeing New York, New York on Broadway before it closes? Keep up to date with Hidden Remote for more theatre-related news and coverage.
Nina Romain looks at the upsides and downsides of being trapped in time
With this famous oneliner, Bill Murray’s character Phil Connors nervously introduces the start of arguably the most well known time loop. Currently running till August in the Old Vic as a musical, Groundhog Day proves there’s still an audience happy to see more of the 1993 take on what it would be like being imprisoned in the same day.
Everyone has their favourite time loop film, whether it’s rom-com fantasy classic Groundhog Day, or science fiction themed Edge of Tomorrow (2014) which sees Tom Cruise’s soldier trapped in time surrounded by aliens – and also features a heroine called Rita.
So what would you do if you were trapped in a timeloop? Embrace the craziness, by eating unlimited amounts of cake as Phil does (cheerfully boasting “I don’t even floss”), driving recklessly on train tracks, and sleeping with anyone possible?
Or would you fight aliens on a daily basis, as Cruise does, to save the day? Or would you work on becoming a better person as Phil eventually does, learning new skills to become a musical genius and talented ice carver? What’s the attraction in these movies – the chance to be king for a day (literally) or to know better than the characters what’s happening?
Timeloop films can also come with serious social themes. One example is 2020’s short Two Distant Strangers where a young man, Carter James, tries to get home to his dog Jeter, but each time he does, he is attacked by a racist police officer and dies. Despite this he keeps trying and discovers that the officer is also aware they are both trapped in a time loop, with the corrupt cop saying creepily: “See you tomorrow, kid” as he reaches for his gun again. Undeterred, James’ final determined line: “Gotta get home to my dog” is both inspiring and desperately sad.
Unsurprisingly, Twilight Zone looked at this plotline in the 50s, first in Rod Serling’s “Judgement Night,” in 1959. This storyline follows a man trapped on the doomed ship Queen of Glasgow, which sinks each night at the same time with all passengers. Writer Richard Matheson later used the same theme in 1963’s “Death Ship”, a modern day take on the Flying Dutchman ship myth. This episode was set in the “darkest nightmare reaches” of deep space (and was to take place, entertainingly, in the far-off future of 1997).
Run Lola Run (1998) is set around the heroine Lola attempting to save her boyfriend’s life by obtaining a large sum of money, with three different timelines as she races through Berlin. Another female hero, Tree, in timeloop-slasher Happy Death Day (2017) is trapped in a cycle of having to solve her own murder. Billed as Groundhog Day meets Scream, with a comedic action edge, Tree has to work out who is stalking her in a campus filled with killers wearing babyface masks.
Well, on the other side of the screen, maybe life is too short to worry about such philosophical time loop conundrums; so maybe you can just enjoy your favourite time loop flick, while, like Phil Connors, refusing to floss. Again.
Nina Romain is living proof that small children shouldn’t be taken trick-or-treating in Alabama – they tend to end up obsessed with the creepier side of Halloween! Her horror microshorts tend to be shot half in the seedier side of Los Angeles and half in the darker side of the UK. Usually working behind the camera on horror-comedies, she is generally found finishing off her latest quirky lowbudget foundfootage, usually set somewhere picturesque off the beaten track, when not unwisely hamming it up on set (pictured). You can find her on www.girlfright.com or IMDB
Unseasonably stormy weather moved eastwards across northern Italy as intense rain and 100km/h (62mph) winds battered the region.
In some places, tennis ball-sized hailstones injured people, damaged cars and uprooted trees.
A 16-year-old girl was killed when a tree fell on the tent she was sleeping in at a summer camp near the city of Brescia, while a middle-aged woman died after also being hit by a falling tree in Lissone, north of Milan.
The mayor of Milan, Giuseppe Sala, said: “I have never seen anything like this… We can’t deny it any longer – climate change is changing our lives.”
WrapPRO is free this week. See the inside scoops, expert analysis and exclusive data subscribers get daily. Click here for more information.
“Bridgerton” spin-off series “Queen Charlotte” has entered Netflix’s all-time most popular shows list.
Debuting on the streamer’s most popular English series list at No. 10, the romantic drama has logged 80.3 million views to date. With “Wednesday” Season 1 still sitting atop the list, the first and second installments of “Bridgerton” remain on the list in the fourth and eighth spots, respectively. “Queen Charlotte” follows “The Witcher” Season 1, which holds down the ninth spot on the list.
In terms of this week’s viewing, “Sweet Magnolias” Season 3 and the second installment of “The Lincoln Lawyer” locked down the top spots on the English TV list, in the first and second spots, respectively, with a tie for a viewership of 4.6 million. The first season of “The Lincoln Lawyer” also appeared on the ninth spot on the list with 2.1 million views. “The Witcher” Season 3 returned to the list at No. 3 with 4.2 million views, while “Too Hot to Handle” Season 5 came next in fourth place with 4.1 million views.
On the movie side, “The Out-Laws” held down the No. 1 spot on the English films list with 12.1 million views, while documentary “Unknown: Cave of Bones” came in second place with 6.5 million viewers. John Boyega and Jamie Foxx-led “They Cloned Tyrone” debuted to the third spot on the list with 6.3 million views and animated flick “Puss in Boots: The Last Wish” came in forth place in terms of this week’s viewership.
“Bird Box Barcelona” also made a splash as this week’s most-viewed title with with 19 million views. The thriller adaptation remained atop the Non-English films list for the second week in a row, ahead of Turkish film “Love Tactics 2,” which took the No. 2 spot with 5.2 million views. Other new additions to the list include Mexican film “The (Almost) Legends,” which debuted to the fourth spot on the list with 2.8 million views, as well as French drama “Gold Brick,” which took fifth place with 2.7 million views.
In terms of Non-English TV, K-drama “King the Land”nabbed the top spot on the list with 4.7 millions views, ahead of Japanese series “Burn the House Down,” which took second place with 3.5 million views, and Indian thriller “Kohrra,” which debuted in the third spot on the list with 2.4 million views.
Season 2 of Netflix’s Heartstopper is right around the corner, and the streamer released a trailer on Tuesday to hold fans over until the August 3 release date.
In the trailer, Nick (Kit Connor) is ready to tell the world he finally has a boyfriend, but he’s nervous about finding the right time to come out. Charlie (Joe Locke) isn’t in any rush, telling Nick that he should come out when and how he wants to.
Meanwhile, Tao (William Gao) and Elle (Yasmin Finney) are trying to work out if they can ever be more than just friends. Tara (Corinna Brown) and Darcy (Kizzy Edgell) are also facing challenges of their own.
With exams on the horizon, a school trip to Paris and a prom to plan, the gang has a lot to juggle as they journey through the next stages of life, love and friendship.
Watch the full trailer above.
Produced out of the UK, the show’s Season 1 was a runaway success for Netflix and has already been commissioned for two more seasons. The coming-of-age romantic comedy drama follows Charlie and Nick, who meet at secondary school and quickly discover that their unlikely friendship is blossoming into an unexpected romance.
In addition to the teen cast, Stephen Fry and Olivia Colman are also returning for Season 2. Creator Alice Oseman returns for Seasons 2 and 3 and See-Saw Films is producer.
