Month: April 2021

Former star Olympic athlete and reality TV personality Caitlyn Jenner has officially announced her candidacy for governor of California, in anticipation of a potential recall election of current governor Gavin Newsom.

In a post on Twitter, Jenner wrote, “I’m in! California is worth fighting for,” and shared a link to her campaign website.

Jenner is both a long-time Republican and a transgender woman who has described herself as a fiscal conservative and social liberal. She came out as trans in 2015, received considerable backlash from the LGBTQ+ community for supporting President Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and ended up revoking her support over his transgender rights policies in 2018.

“California has been my home for nearly 50 years,” she wrote in a press release. “I came here because I knew that anyone, regardless of their background or station in life, could turn their dreams into reality. But for the past decade, we have seen the glimmer of the Golden State reduced by one-party rule that places politics over progress and special interests over people. Sacramento needs an honest leader with a clear vision.”

Jenner is the fourth Republican to announce their candidacy, and they all have an uphill climb ahead of them. Despite opponents gathering more signatures than the 1.5 million necessary to initiate a recall election, a recent poll found that 56% of likely voters in California oppose recalling Newsom, and only 40% say they would vote to recall him. In addition, his approval rating hovers around 54%.

Support for Jenner is also a big question mark, as the Republican party isn’t exactly known for supporting the rights of the transgender community of which she is a part.

Former-Trump-voter-turned-Biden-supporter David Weismann wrote to Jenner, “I am a former Republican who does not understand your decision to run for Governor, especially as a Republican. Republicans do not acknowledge the transgender community’s right to exist. Why support their hateful agenda?”

Transgender activist Charlotte Clymer was more blunt. “Caitlyn Jenner has no real support,” she wrote on Twitter. “I don’t care about her candidacy. I do care about the ways in which her asinine views will be weaponized against trans people and the ways in which transphobia will go unchecked.”

“This is purely a vanity campaign,” she added, “and it’s incredibly selfish.”

Clymer was also quick to point out, however, that Jenner’s problematic features are her views and her lack of qualifications, not her gender. Misgendering her or engaging in other transphobic language is not an appropriate response to her candidacy announcement.

If nothing else, Jenner’s candidacy offers a good opportunity to talk about how to appropriately discuss transgender people using language that affirms their humanity, even if you can’t stand their political stances or personalities.

Also a bit of a head scratcher: Jenner has hired former Trump campaign manager Bard Parscale as an adviser, which would seemingly create a connection between Jenner and Trump, despite Jenner renouncing her support and Trump pivoting further away from supporting transgender rights.

While Jenner is a historic candidate, as a transgender woman running for the governorship of one of the largest states in the country, the majority of responses show that the much-ranted-about concept of “identity politics” is largely overblown. After searching and searching, I found virtually no explicit support for Jenner on social media. She has not garnered the support of the broader LGBTQ+ community (in fact, California’s largest LGBTQ+ civil rights organization literally said, “hard pass”) and it’s difficult to imagine a party that is currently pushing anti-trans legislation in states across the country rallying behind a transgender candidate.

Jenner’s candidacy is newsworthy because of her fame and noteworthy because she is transgender, but at this point, simple name recognition probably outweighs both her gender identity and her policies in terms of gaining voters. Time will tell, but if this campaign gets off the ground, it will be a surprise.

Stranger things have happened, though. As recent history has taught us, just about anything at all is possible. But whatever happens, and wherever we sit on the political spectrum, let’s keep criticisms of Jenner confined to her political views and not her personhood.

Self-proclaimed Disney fan Jonathan Vanboskerck has caused a stir on social media after an op-ed he wrote was published by the Orlando Sentinel entitled, “I love Disney World, but wokeness is ruining the experience.”

He believes that Disney’s decision to bow to political correctness and the “Twitter Mob” has sucked some of the magic from his experience at Disney World.

Disney’s unique ability to create magic comes from immersing people in fantastic settings, allowing them to momentarily suspend disbelief and be transported to another world. It’s an incredible trick and nobody does it better than Disney.

Vanboskerck argues that the company has made changes to its parks to project its liberal values and that takes him out of the experience.

“When I stand in Galaxy’s Edge or Fantasyland, I know I am in a theme park but through immersion and my willingness to set the real world aside, something magical happens,” he writes.

“That spell is broken when the immersive experience is shattered by the real world. And boy, has Disney been breaking the immersion,” he continues.

He doesn’t like the new Disney policies that allow cast members to have “inclusive” haircuts and tattoos. Now, he has a point here, if Tinkerbell has a sleeve tattoo it kinda kills the experience.

However, he should be a bit more clear about what he means by “inclusive” hairstyles. Does he have a problem with people having braids? An androgynous hairstyle? A die job?

“More broadly, like many corporations, Disney has been politicizing its business,” Vanboskerck continues. “Full disclosure: I am a Christian and a conservative Republican, so the people who run Disney and I do not see eye to eye.”

He then goes on to say that it’s acceptable for corporations to express their political belief if it’s for profit. He’s also fine with corporations getting political to express values, as long as they align with his.

“Regardless, corporations have always made politically motivated decisions. Usually, it is due to the desire to make a profit, but sometimes it is due to the values of the people in the corporation,” he writes. “Walt Disney used his corporation to express his patriotism during World War II and his pro-capitalism beliefs afterward. The difference today is that the people who run Disney use social media to scream to the whole world that a decision has been made for political reasons.”

Vanboskerck is upset that Disney removed Trader Sam from the Jungle Boat Cruise because he might “offend some people.”

via Disney Fandom Wiki

According to the Disney fandom wiki, Trader Sam is a South American indigenous shrunken head dealer who comes from a “cannibalistic” family. If there’s anything that perpetuates the colonialist idea that indigenous people are savages this would be it.

If Vanboskerck’s concern is immersion, then he should consider the fact that, for many, seeing an indigenous person portrayed as a savage also really ruins the immersive experience.

He also says that Disney’s decision to change “Splash Mountain” because of its association with “Song of the South” is to “appease a certain political point of view.”

“Song of the South” is a film that paints a rose-colored picture of life on a plantation for Black people in the South at a nebulous time somewhere around the Civil War and Reconstruction. The idea that “Song of the South” is troublesome only to left-wing people is setting the bar very low for conservatives.

Every time Vanboskerck looks at Splash Mountain he says he’s “thinking about politics.” But, again, what about people who don’t want to be reminded of slavery when they’re on a theme park ride? Their opinion matters as well.

So political.

Unfortunately, we live in a world where it seems that everything has become political. That’s a shame because at the heart of politics is a battle between groups to force their will upon one another. However, we all have the choice to decide how we interpret reality and whether we judge everything as political.

Creating an environment that’s considerate of people with different backgrounds isn’t, at its heart, political. The Magic Kingdom is a place that welcomes people from all over the world. Disney would be really killing the magic if it decided to only present a world of fantasy that appeals to a limited group of people.

Vanboskerck shows his hand when he writes that “every time I look at the ride I am thinking about politics.” The problem could be he’s conditioned himself to see everything around him as political. That’s a problem that even the geniuses at Disney Imagineering can’t solve.

The piece inspired a lot of passionate, and funny responses on Twitter.

Selena Gomez always keeps herself busy outside of her music career. One fun endeavor from the past few years has been Selena + Chef, her HBO Max cooking show. She’s getting ready to launch her third season later this year, and ahead of then, she’s shared a new teaser. In the new promo, she introduces a (sadly not real) new microwave that gets rid of the annoying beeps that traditional microwaves utilize and replaces them with thematically appropriate clips from her songs.

This comes after Gomez revealed that she has considered retiring from music, as she said in a March interview, “It’s hard to keep doing music when people don’t necessarily take you seriously. I’ve had moments where I’ve been like, ‘What’s the point? Why do I keep doing this?’ ‘Lose You To Love Me’ I felt was the best song I’ve ever released, and for some people it still wasn’t enough. I think there are a lot of people who enjoy my music, and for that I’m so thankful, for that I keep going, but I think the next time I do an album it’ll be different. I want to give it one last try before I maybe retire music.”

Check out the Selena + Chef promo above.

You know what they say — so many snacks, so little time. Just us? Okay, then. In truth, there are a lot of snacks out there on your grocery store shelves and even more online. Nobody has the time or money to eat all of them. Plus taking a chance on a new Oreo flavor or an upstart brand of microwave popcorn can often end in you wasting money on something you’ll never eat, when you could’ve just reached for a brand you already know you like.

We don’t want that for you, so we’re going to go ahead and take the grocery store/ online shopping L’s for you. Helping ensure that you only spend your money on winners. To do that, we ate a bunch of snacks (some of which, as you might imagine, were awful) and came up with a tight eight that pass our greatest scrutiny, breaking down what we love about each.

Salt & Straw Cereal Sly Menu (Dane Rivera)

Average Price: $65 (For 5 Pints)

Why It’s Good:

Portland-based ice cream brand Salt & Straw has relaunched its Cereal Sly menu for the spring season, bringing five delicious flavors that combine Salt & Straw’s rich ice cream with your favorite breakfast cereals… kind of. Don’t expect ice cream equivalents of your childhood faves. Instead Salt & Straw used the cereal as a jumping-off point for something uniquely its own, and the line of limited-run ice creams is better for it.

The end result is flavors that are reminiscent of your favorite cereals without being one note. Pots of Gold & Rainbows, OffLimits’ Dash Cold Brew Cocoa Crisps, a dairy-free Peanut Butter Captain Munch, Snap ’N Crackle Marshmallow Treats, and Cornflake Cookies with Marionberry Jam are inventive while hitting that nostalgia sweet spot.

I had to choose one, it would definitely be the Pots of Gold & Rainbow, which uses “cereal steeped milk” as its base and mixes in marshmallow rainbows — the best application of marshmallows in an ice cream that we’ve ever tried. The rich coffee-forward Cold Brew Cocoa Crisps and the Cornflake Cookies, which features housemade marionberry jam, are also destined to be legendary.

The Bottom Line:

Salt & Straw is one of the most inventive ice cream brands around. Grab a pint (or five) from Salt & Straw’s Cereal Sly menu ASAP. The flavors are only around until supplies last.

Whozeewhatzit (Dane Rivera)

Average Price: $4.50

Why It’s Good:

Every time a candy brand attempts to do something different, it’s met with side-eye from candy-eating skeptics who see it as nothing more than a cash grab. That’s generally fair because most of the time that’s what it is! Easter-shaped Reese’s, different flavored Kit-Kats (besides the Green Tea flavor, which is bomb), tropical Sour Patch — it’s all designed to make you feel like you’re introducing variety to your rampant sugar consumption.

But most new candies somehow lack imagination while sacrificing whatever nostalgia points it had going for it. The Whozeewhatzit (a spin on the Whatchamacallit) is different. Is it as good as the original? Yes. Maybe even better.

Instead of a peanut butter crisp topped with a thin layer of caramel covered in chocolate, the Whozeewhatzit features an all-chocolate crisp with a thin layer of peanut butter creme covered in chocolate. Sure, it’s a little derivative — but it’s still damn good candy.

The Bottom Line:

Certainly worth grabbing at a gas station next time you’re ready to cheat on your spring diet.

KIMNORI Seasoned Seaweed Snack — Korean BBQ (Janice Williams)

Average Price: $29.99 (12 Pack)

Why It’s Good:

Seaweed snacks have existed long before I was ever conceived. Yet, somehow, I am only just now getting into them. And let me tell you, since only a few short months ago, I have been eating these crispy little seaweed slices as much as a crab eats kelp.

The seaweed is roasted and seasoned with a blend of spices that gives the snack a flavoring of meat grilled over a stove-top griddle. And yet, that blend of secret spices doesn’t overpower the seaweed’s fresh and natural briny, oceanic taste. Speckles of sea salt embedded in each seaweed square give the snack an addictive boost that makes it impossible to just eat one.

There is a little filmy, oily residue that you’ll notice on your fingers after a bite, but this is why I particularly like the Kim Nori brand. Their seaweed snacks has a very light coating of sunflower, sesame, and canola oil compared to other brands that seem to weigh the seaweed down with heavier oils.

The Bottom Line:

This is a mindless, low-calorie, organic, and gluten-free treat that will satisfy those salty-snack cravings.

Trader Joe’s Crispy Crunchy Champignon Mushroom Snack (Janice Williams)

Average Price: $4

Why It’s Good:

I absolutely love potato chips, but my expanding waistline is really not a fan. So naturally, I’ve been trying to find healthier alternatives to satisfy my salty, crunchy cravings. Enter Trader Joe’s Crispy Crunchy Champignon Mushroom Snack — the latest snack that I’m totally tripping balls over.

Here we have actual slices of champignon, or rather white mushrooms, that have been vacuum fried with sunflower oil to create a snack that is perfectly crispy, savory, and filling. There is a hint of sea salt but the predominant flavor is the mushroom’s own natural earthiness. After a bit of crunching, the shrooms start to disintegrate into a softness similar to the texture they display when they’re sautéed or roasted, which makes them particularly enjoyable — like a hard crunch that evolves into a soft chew.

I should note that there are about 340 calories and 26 grams of fat in a single serving of this snack. However, the whole bag is considered one serving, and it’s highly unlikely you’ll eat all the shrooms in one sitting as opposed to a handful every here and there. As I said, they’re legit filling.

The Bottom Line:

For comparison, there are about 160 calories and 10 grams of fat in a 2.75-ounce bag of Lays Classics (you know, the $1.89 bag) and about three servings worth of chips, which you’re likely to eat all at once. You do the math.

If you’re looking for a potato chip replacement, this light, salty, and crunchy snack is it.

Cheetos Mac ‘N Cheese (Zach Johnston)

Average Price: 0.96¢

Why It’s Good:

Have you ever thought about pulverizing some Flamin’ Hot Cheetos and dusting something with them? Come on. I know you have. And you know what? It’s not a bad idea. The reason I say this with confidence is thanks to Cheetos Mac ‘N Cheese — which essentially makes the “hot Cheeto dust” concept into a whole dang boxed dinner.

A boxed dinner which is surprisingly good.

The Bottom Line:

Look, this is an unholy and unnatural bright red. It’s spiral mac n’ cheese which isn’t always the best (it’s a little heavy as a noodle choice, in my opinion). But goddamnit, it’s tasty. It’s very creamy, actually cheesy, and the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos feel like a nice seasoning/spicy addition, not an afterthought.

It’s legitimately spicy as well — to the point that I needed to blow my nose by the end and beads of sweat were rolling off my brow. Creamy, cheesy, and spicy pasta with a really nostalgic edge and glowing red hue? Fine stunt/gimmick mac n’ cheese, you win.

Snow Days Pizza Bites (Steve Bramucci)

Average Price: $31.49 (2-Pack)

Why It’s Good:

I’ve gone years now without having any “ready to make” meals in my freezer. I like cooking and was able to get into the kitchen most nights. But during the pandemic, I’ve needed to keep a few super simple meals on hand and this brand new drop has proven itself an immediate champion.

These are pizza bites. Unless you skipped the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s completely, you know pizza bites. But this version is both organic and grain-free. I hate to be the person who only likes healthy food when it tastes like unhealthy food but… well, I’m that guy. Somehow these taste better than typical pizza bites and their ingredient list includes cassava, sweet potato, carrot, and spinach. What strange alchemy is that?

Rather than trying to imitate gluten, the crust is more robust-grainy than a typical pizza bite, which works beautifully. It’s like you’re eating a pizza crust dusted with cornmeal. The centers are deeply savory and feature real cheese, meaning you still get that cheese-pull effect. It’s the perfect update to a snack I loved as a kid.

The Bottom Line:

For my palate, this brand is it — I won’t go back to its overprocessed predecessors. Be sure to follow the directions to make sure they don’t burst in the oven. Use an air fryer for optimal results.

Mr. Lee’s Instant Ramen Noodles(Steve Bramucci)

Average Price: $31.99 (Mixed Box of All 4 Flavors)

Why It’s Good:

Have you read about how unhealthy instant ramen typically is? It’s a wild rabbit hole to go down. And if you’ve eaten a ton of Top Ramen and Cup Noodles over the years, as I have, you’re sure to find it troubling.

Knowing this, I’ve often thought to myself, “Why isn’t there a healthy Cup Noodles? Someone could make it and break the game wide open!” Enter Mr. Lee’s, whose business model is literally making a better instant noodle cup.

Guess what? They’re successful at it. These things are really, really good and hit all those old comfort food sweet spots while still tasting like real, not-crazily-processed food. The ingredients are clearly higher quality and, unlike traditional instant ramen, these retain some nutrients.

The Bottom Line:

Switch Cup Noodles with Mr. Lee’s immediately, the new brand is better in every way. But remember: You have to shake the cup. Otherwise, your soup will be bland and you’ll accuse me of lying to you!

Creamalicious Uncle Charles Brown Suga Bourbon Cake Ice Cream (Steve Bramucci)

Average Price: $7.99

Why It’s Good:

Chef Liz Rogers doesn’t just make ice cream. She makes ice cream with a story. Each flavor of Creamalicious comes with a snippet from the chef’s own Southern culinary heritage — tales of favorite aunts and stylish, bourbon sipping uncles.

But the genius of this brand isn’t just in its commitment to handing down stories. Each flavor starts with a baked good — a cake or pastry or cookie — that’s then mixed into the ice cream base. It’s a combo that’s been proven and works particularly well here. The mix-ins taste freshly made and have a texture that’s authentic to the baked goods themselves, rather than being hard, stale, or too small to notice.

Unlike Salt & Straw, which leaned into the salt and gave birth to millions of savory ice cream imitators, this is truly a sweet treat. But these ice creams aren’t one-note, not by a long shot. The baked mix-ins add texture and surprise to each pint and the flavors are creative and rarely seen.

The Bottom Line:

Start with the Sweet Potato Pie — starring pieces of real pie, using a recipe handed down by Chef Liz’s Grandma Gigi.

Jonathan VanBoskerck is not exactly a household name, but on Friday he very quickly, became the most famous Disney Adult in America after a bizarre opinion piece decrying “woke” culture was published in an Orlando newspaper.

The photo, with the man in a Hawaiian-adjacent Disney shirt with Disney trinkets in the background, was enough to grab the attention of plenty of people online. But the column was much more bizarre: the Las Vegas native described his family’s yearly trips to the Florida theme park were being ruined by a “woke scalpel” that was removing parts of his favorite rides and ruining the experience because of cancel culture.

It’s reminiscent of the man who recently went viral for getting arrested at Disney for not adhering to the park’s safety standards amid the still-ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But that reminder of the real world is not the issue for Van Boskerck, it’s that sometimes people who dress up as anthropomorphic dogs and Disney princesses have tattoos and haircuts that were not animated in the 1960s:

Recently, Disney announced that cast members are now permitted to display tattoos, wear inclusive uniforms and display inclusive haircuts. Disney did all of this in the name of allowing cast members to express themselves.

The problem is, I’m not traveling across the country and paying thousands of dollars to watch someone I do not know express themselves. I am there for the immersion and the fantasy, not the reality of a stranger’s self-expression. I do not begrudge these people their individuality and I wish them well in their personal lives, but I do not get to express my individuality at my place of business.

That may seem like a silly thing to get upset about, but it’s really the “woke scalpel” that Disney has taken to its rides and attractions in recent years that’s made him most upset. Essentially, VanBoskerck is really missing all the horny and racist stuff. He complains that Disney is updating its Jungle Cruise ride to take out harmful stereotypes of indigenous people, and lamented the missing scenes, like a guy being boiled alive, from the Pirates of the Caribbean ride they’ve removed over the years:

Pirates used to be one of my favorite attractions. My family would always ride it first on our first day at the Magic Kingdom. Now, we do not even ride it every trip. When my family rides Pirates now, each of the changed scenes takes us out of the illusion because they remind us of reality and the politics that forced the changes.

Disney World is going to lose us as customers if it continues down this path. I do not want to have Disney World taken away from us because Disney cares more about politics than happy guests.

But it’s important to note that, well, what they got rid of was a bizarre sex slave auction from the Pirates ride. If his family is really missing that, well, that’s weird. And the Splash Mountain changes are because of something he himself noted: the ride’s history with the wildly racist and controversial Song of the South. Most of these changes are happening because Disney is phasing out things that don’t seem as acceptable in modern society, sure, but as many noted online it’s also in an effort to make the rides line up with upcoming movies.

Disney is so big and so popular that its park rides have become their own movie franchises, which in turn makes them get retrofit to be advertisements for the movies and shows the theme park attractions have spawned. It’s just business, and honestly it seems like pretty good business to transform Splash Mountain from a fun ride with a fraught history into a fun ride with an animated movie tie-in.

VanBoskerck getting mad about all of this and haphazardly chalking it up to cancel culture is about as lazy as going to the same theme park for the same vacation every year. And the self-described “Christian and a conservative Republican” declaring that Disney’s values don’t add up with his just sort of says a lot about where his head’s at with pretty much everything these days. Which is why there was a LOT of reaction online about how weird all of this was.

A surprising amount of Jurassic Park jokes were made, too.

Even the creator of another animated Disney show, Gravity Falls, got involved.

James Gunn chimed in, too.

His Goodreads profile was apparently found as well and, uh, it’s a lot.

There was also some digging about the expression he does at his job, which is an assistant District Attorney in Las Vegas who tried really hard to execute someone recently.

The lesson here, as always, is to diversify your vacation plans and not build your entire personality out of a corporation that is very much not your friend. Oh, and try not to declare your fondness for animatronic sex slavery in a major metropolitan newspaper.

(Via Orlando Sentinel)

HBO Max continues to slay the streaming game this month, pumping out a handful of original series and dropping some straight-from-theaters blockbusters to keep fans entertained.

We’re particularly hyped to finally see Tenet on the small screen — sorry, Christopher Nolan — and for Angelina Jolie to make a return to her action hero days. Oh, and there’s plenty of comedy coming too. Look out for Jean Smart’s new HBO Max dramedy and a Michael Che special.

Here’s everything coming to (and leaving) HBO and HBO Max this May.

Tenet
Christopher Nolan might not be pleased but we’re pretty thrilled that Tenet is finally coming to a streaming platform. If you didn’t catch this time-hopping thriller in theaters — and really, who did? — it follows John David Washington’s character on a mind-bending journey to prevent the start of another World War.

Those Who Wish Me Dead (Warner Bros. Film Premiere)
Angelina Jolie stars in this thriller along with Jon Bernthal and Nicholas Hoult. Jolie plays a veteran firefighter who, in the midst of a terrible inferno destroying the forests of Montana, must help a young boy on the run from a pair of twin assassins.

Hacks (HBO Max Original Series Premiere)
Emmy-winning icon Jean Smart stars in this dark comedy about a washed-up Las Vegas comic trying to get back into the stand-up game. To do it, she’s got to partner with a young up-and-coming comedy writer from Los Angeles who’s unimpressed with her material. Their odd-couple-like banter makes up the bulk of the entertainment here.

Avail. 5/1
17 Again, 2009
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, 2012 (HBO)
Anaconda, 1997
Anger Management, 2003 (HBO)
Baby Boom, 1987 (HBO)
Barry Lyndon, 1975
Black Hawk Down, 2001
The Cable Guy, 1996
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005
Cursed, 2005 (HBO)
Daddy Day Care, 2003
Darkest Hour, 2017 (HBO)
Darkness, 2004 (Extended Version) (HBO)
The Dirty Dozen, 1967
Dumb & Dumber, 1994
Employee Of The Month, 2006 (HBO)
Firehouse Dog, 2007 (HBO)
Flight Of The Intruder, 1991 (HBO)
Free Willy, 1993
Frida, 2002 (HBO)
Generation Por Que? (HBO)
God’s Not Dead, 2014 (HBO)
Good Morning, Vietnam, 1987 (HBO)
Happy Feet Two, 2011
Happy Feet, 2006
Harley Davidson And The Marlboro Man, 1991 (HBO)
Hercules, 1983 (HBO)
Igby Goes Down, 2002 (HBO)
Igor, 2008 (HBO)
Insomnia, 2002 (HBO)
The Interview, 2014
Jackie Brown, 1997
Kansas, 1988 (HBO)
Magic Mike, 2012
Menace II Society, 1993
Michael, 1996 (HBO)
Mortal Kombat, 1995
Movie 43, 2013 (HBO)
Muriel’s Wedding, 1995 (HBO)
My Baby’s Daddy, 2004 (HBO)
Mystery Date, 1991 (HBO)
Norbit, 2007 (HBO)
Para Rosa (Aka For Rosa) (HBO)
Precious, 2009 (HBO)
Rabid, 1977 (HBO)
Romance & Cigarettes, 2007 (HBO)
Rosewater, 2014 (HBO)
Rudy, 1993
Rush Hour 2, 2001
Rush Hour 3, 2007
Rush Hour, 1998
Save The Last Dance, 2001 (HBO)
Save The Last Dance 2, 2006 (HBO)
Senseless, 1998 (HBO)
Separate Tables, 1958 (HBO)
Serpico, 1974 (HBO)
Serving Sara, 2002 (HBO)
Summer Rental, 1985 (HBO)
Tenet, 2020 (HBO)
The Debt, 2010 (HBO)
The Immigrant, 2014 (HBO)
The Kingdom, 2007 (HBO)
The Last Of The Finest, 1990 (HBO)
The Perfect Man, 2005 (HBO)
The Tuxedo, 2002 (HBO)
The Wings Of The Dove, 1997 (HBO)
The Witches Of Eastwick, 1987 (HBO)
Tomcats, 2001 (HBO)
Trust Me, 2014 (HBO)
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Witness Protection, 2012
Varsity Blues, 1999 (HBO)
Welcome To Sarajevo, 1997 (HBO)
When Harry Met Sally, 1989
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971
Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, 2018 (HBO)
Words And Pictures, 2014 (HBO)

Avail. 5/2
Uri and Ella, Season 1

Avail. 5/3
300: Rise of an Empire, 2014
Pray, Obey, Kill, Docu-Series Finale (HBO)

Avail. 5/6
Hunger, 2008
Legendary, Max Original Season 2 Premiere
Take Me Out To The Ball Game, 1949
That Damn Michael Che, Max Original Series Premiere
West Side Story (TCM CFF Opening Night), 1961

Avail. 5/7
La Boda De Rosa (Aka Rosa’s Wedding) (HBO)

Avail. 5/8
Greenland, 2020 (HBO)
Re:ZERO -Starting Life in Another World– Season 2 , (Subtitled, Episodes 14-25) (Crunchyroll Collection)

Avail. 5/9
Axios (HBO)

Avail. 5/10
Jujutsu Kaisen – Season 1, (Subtitled, Episodes 13-24) (Crunchyroll Collection)
Race for the White House, Season 2
The Crime of the Century, Two-Part Documentary Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 5/13
Hacks, Max Original Series Premiere
Wonder Woman 1984, 2020 (HBO)

Avail. 5/14
Those Who Wish Me Dead, Warner Bros. Film Premiere, 2021

Avail. 5/15
The Personal History Of David Copperfield, 2020 (HBO)
The Nevers, Part 1 Finale (HBO)

Avail. 5/19
Apple & Onion, Season 2A

Avail. 5/20
Adventure Time: Distant Lands – Together Again, Max Original
The Big Shot with Bethenny, Max Original Season Finale
Ellen’s Next Great Designer, Max Original Season Finale
Territorio (Aka Close Quarters) (HBO)
This Is Life with Lisa Ling, Season 7

Avail. 5/23
In Treatment, Season 4 Premiere (HBO)

Avail. 5/25
Cinderella Man, 2005 (HBO)
Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel (HBO)

Avail. 5/26
Curious George, 2006 (HBO)

Avail. 5/28
A Black Lady Sketch Show, Season 2 Finale (HBO)

Avail. 5/30
Mare of Easttown, Limited Series Finale (HBO)

Leaving 5/11
Mud, 2013

Leaving 5/13
Bullitt, 1968
The Searchers, 1956
Take Me Out To The Ball Game, 1949
West Side Story, 1961

Leaving 5/16
Annabelle Comes Home, 2019 (HBO)

Leaving 5/23
Mortal Kombat, 2021

Leaving 5/28
The Operative, 2019 (HBO)

Leaving 5/31
All About My Mother, 1999
All the President’s Men, 1976
Amistad, 1997 (HBO)
The Avengers, 1998
The Beguiled, 2017 (HBO)
The Bishop’s Wife, 1947
Black Christmas, 2019 (HBO)
The Blind Side, 2009 (HBO)
Blood Work, 2002
Blue Streak, 1999
Bombshell, 1933
The Book Of Henry, 2011 (HBO)
Book Of Shadows: The Blair Witch 2, 2000
The Bridges Of Madison County, 1995
Butterfield 8, 1960
Captain Blood, 1935
Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, 1958
Cats, 2019 (HBO)
The Cider House Rules, 1999 (HBO)
Cinema Paradiso, 1990 (Director’s Cut) (HBO)
Cradle 2 The Grave, 2003
Critical Care, 1997 (HBO)
Cruel Intentions, 1999 (HBO)
The Dancer Upstairs, 2003 (HBO)
Dangerous Liaisons, 1988
The Dead Don’t Die, 2019 (HBO)
The Dead Pool, 1988
Death Becomes Her, 1992 (HBO)
Defending Your Life, 1991
Dirty Dancing, 1987 (HBO)
Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights, 2004 (HBO)
Dolores Claiborne, 1995
Doubt, 2008 (HBO)
Downhill, 2020 (HBO)
Driving Miss Daisy, 1989
Drop Dead Gorgeous, 1999
East Of Eden, 1955
Emma, 1996 (HBO)
Emma, 2020 (HBO)
A Face In The Crowd, 1957
Father Of The Bride, 1950
Flipped, 2010
Giant, 1956
Heartbreak Ridge, 1986
Hot Fuzz, 2007 (HBO)
Hunger, 2008
Jaws, 1975 (HBO)
Jaws 2, 1978 (HBO)
Jetsons: The Movie, 1990 (HBO)
Justice League: Gods And Monsters, 2015
A Kiss Before Dying, 1991 (HBO)
The Last King Of Scotland, 2006 (HBO)
The Last Kiss, 2006 (HBO)
Lego: Justice League: Attack Of The Legion Of Doom!, 2015
Life As We Know It, 2010
Life With Father, 1947
Little Women, 1949
Living Out Loud, 1998
The Long Kiss Goodnight, 1996
Magnum Force, 1973
March Of The Penguins, 2005
The Matrix Reloaded, 2003
The Matrix Revolutions, 2003
The Matrix, 1999
Maverick, 1994
Misery, 1990 (HBO)
Mortal Kombat, 1995
Mortal Kombat Annihilation, 1997
Mortal Kombat Legends: Scorpion’s Revenge, 2020
Nell, 1994 (HBO)
Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always, 2020 (HBO)
Papillon, 1973
A Patch Of Blue, 1965
Phantom, 2013 (HBO)
Phantom Thread, 2017 (HBO)
Project X, 2012 (Extended Version) (HBO)
Ray, 2004 (HBO)
Richie Rich (Movie), 1994
A Room With A View, 1986 (HBO)
Sanctum, 2011 (HBO)
Scream, 1996
Scream 2, 1997
Scream 3, 2000
Se7En, 1995
Selena, 1997
Shaun Of The Dead, 2004 (HBO)
Sherlock Holmes: A Game Of Shadows, 2011 (HBO)
Skyline, 2010 (HBO)
Snakes On A Plane, 2006
Snow White And The Huntsman, 2012 (Unrated Version) (HBO)
Stuart Little, 1999
Stuart Little 2, 2002
The Thin Man, 1934
Tightrope, 1984
True Grit, 2010 (HBO)
Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family, 2011
Unforgiven, 1992
Veronica Mars, 2014
Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, 2007
Who’s Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?, 1966
X-Men: Dark Phoenix, 2019 (HBO)
X-Men: First Class, 2011 (HBO)
You Can’t Take It With You, 1938

Post Malone has kept busy lately. He’s getting ready to headline Rolling Loud, he launched new merch for his rosé brand, he got shot by Jason Statham (in a movie, not real life), and he performed at the Grammys. In terms of new music, though, it’s been about a year and a half since Post Malone released his latest album, Hollywood’s Bleeding. It appears he may be gearing up to drop not just one new project in 2021, but a pair of them.

In an Instagram post, Malone’s manager Dre London implied that he and Malone are in agreement that Malone should put out two albums this year. He also noted that one of these projects may arrive sooner than fans might expect, and that the title of one might be revealed soon. Sharing a photos of himself smiling while on the phone, he wrote, “Some would say thats the smile when the wire hits! But for me this isn’t true! It’s even bigger than that! This that smile while on FaceTime with @postmalone agreeing that the world deserves 2 Posty projects out this year! Discussing dates to drop the 1st one sooner than u think! I won’t tell u the title name just yet maybe next week.”

He actually is confirmed to drop something new, though, as he’s teaming up with the Calm app for an hour-long version of “Circles.”

What if Marriage Story but everyone is nice? Like, no one’s arm goes through a wall or the pain of enduring a gash. There are arguments, but you don’t so much feel people sprinting away from each other with a quickness or the effects of an explosive war. What if it was more like two people on separate rafts floating away from each other, hands outstretched? Wouldn’t that be a gut punch to see something so naturally attuned to the way magical beautiful things die if the tides don’t shift in their favor?

We Broke Up is all of those things, but it’s also funny, with a grounded and concise story and characters that cause you to invest deeply in an outcome that often feels like it’s teetering on being obvious before circling back.

The leads, William Jackson Harper and Aya Cash, are our friends from TV (The Good Place and You’re The Worst), and they’re charming and sometimes heartbreaking here as Doug and Lori, a couple dealing with the realization that they might want different things after years together. Directed by TV veteran Jeff Rosenberg (who co-wrote with playwright Laura Jacqmin), the film has a throwback indie feel while both leaning into and evading rom-com tropes. As the setting, there’s a destination wedding at the camp where Lori and her sister spent time as kids. There are also quirky family members, near hookups, and a runaway bride. But it’s all a misdirect to contrast the back and forth going on between Harper and Cash’s characters while they pretend everything is great to try and get through Lori’s sister’s wedding to a guy she only recently met.

When I spoke with Harper and Cash recently, the former Good Place star told me he was drawn to the way the film subverts those tropes and, particularly, the realistic way it handles a tough moment that some relationships reach.

“It just felt very real to me that sometimes things don’t disintegrate because of a huge transgression. Sometimes these [relationships] disintegrate because people are growing in different directions or want different things. And that’s hard. It’s a lot thornier. […] Eventually, you have to either agree to move forward or to let it go because there’s really not a middle ground to be found.”

This film will doubtlessly spark some reflection about your own relationships and the choices we all make along the way. It’s something Cash spoke to in a pitch-perfect way when describing to me the experience of being with her long-time partner and the many different versions of ourselves that we cycle through when with someone for that long.

“I find that I’ve been in many relationships over 16 years. I’ve been with different people, and it just happens to be the same person. What you want at 22 and what you’re looking for in a partner is different than what you want at 30 and 35. What you’re looking for in life changes and how you want to live your life changes as you grow up. And so I feel like I was lucky enough to find a partner who was also changing and growing, but we’ve definitely had periods of time where we’ve looked at each other and been like, ‘Do we want the same thing? Do we want this?’ The kids conversation, the marriage conversation. The markers of adulthood come up and you have to have a real reckoning on, are you on the same page about those things? So I feel like you have to constantly re-date someone and re-get to know them as you both change.”

For Harper, the experience of the film kicked up slightly uncomfortable questions about the way he has viewed his own relationship, specifically with the idea that we’re supposed to have an idea for what our life is supposed to look like. Something he says is a part of this story.

“[The film] is something where it made me revisit some things in the past where I’m like, ‘How many times did I make decisions or had conflicts that stemmed from not what I actually want, but what I want my life to look like?’ And that’s kind of a tough realization to have sometimes because it feels, I don’t know, vain is not the right word, but something about it feels like it’s not about the other person and with it not being about the other person that feels off to me. And so it just made me look back at times where I’ve leaned into that thought process more than I think is healthy.”

While there’s a heaviness around the main relationship, We Broke Up is still often rooted in comedy, playing on the awkwardness of navigating a wedding for a mismatched pair and the absurdity of grown adults throwing themselves completely into a batch of outdoor parties and drinking games while unlocking nostaglia and reliving the summer camp experience. There’s also heart, particularly with how Harper’s character is so deeply woven into the Cash character’s larger family.

All parts assembled, Rosenberg and Jacqmin deliver a story about the toughness of the ties that hold people together. Something that hits hard when compared to the flippant way relationships often come undone on TV and in films. This is also a story that feels incomplete. And I mean that in the best way. As Harper says near the end of our chat when I ask if he allows himself to imagine these characters a decade down the road, “there’s a whole hell of a lot of story left. [With] a huge journey that follows this.” And while a Before trilogy like run of stories and check ins seems unlikely and we may never see how this unfolds, we care enough about these characters and the tangible love that they have for each other from start to finish that we wish we could and we wish them well.

Fresh off of the success of Pulp Fiction, NBC was quick to snatch up Quentin Tarantino and have him direct an episode of its soon-to-be-smash hit medical series ER. Tarantino delivered “Motherhood,” the penultimate episode of the first season, which drew in 33 million viewers when it aired in May 1995. However, during a recent cast reunion, Julianna Marguiles revealed that Tarantino was apparently a little paranoid about NBC messing with his work, so he devised a crafty method of filming the episode that initially left the cast a little confused. Via IndieWire:

“When Quentin Tarantino came to direct us, he was such a big fan of the show, he only did one take,” Margulies said. “So they didn’t have a choice to edit. We would rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. We would do one take and he would go, ‘Great, let’s move on!’ And I asked him why he was doing that and he said, ‘It’ll be my cut no matter what.’”

Considering Tarantino is one of the biggest auteurs in Hollywood and has a signature style that’s been the catalyst for his success, it’s interesting to imagine a time when he was still afraid of studio interference and had to come up with clever methods to protect his work, even for TV. Especially since, back in the 90s, doing TV work was sometimes looked down on, with the days of Prestige TV and a blurring of the lines between big and small screens still a few years off. Although, one could argue that ER set the stage for TV to finally get the respect it deserved. Leave it to someone like Tarantino to be at the forefront of having prescient respect for the medium. In any event, whatever his reasons for doing it, this is still really, really funny.

(Via IndieWire)

Grammy-winning singer HER is hard at work on a new project and today, she revealed what it’s going to be called. Back Of My Mind. Incidentally, it’s also her debut album, as her prior efforts, the self-titled H.E.R. and its 2019 follow-up I Used To Know Her, were compilations of previously released material (a quartet of EPs bearing the same titles).

However, despite not having an official “album” to her name, the Bay Area singer has become one of music’s most accomplished artists over the past several years, with singles like “Focus,” “Damage,” and “I Can’t Breathe” charting on the Billboard Hot 100 and appearances alongside stars like Daniel Caesar, Jazmine Sullivan, and YG raising her profile to near-superstar status.

That status was sealed as she secured high-profile placements on the Judas And The Black Messiah soundtrack and sang the national anthem at the 2021 Super Bowl. Meanwhile, “I Can’t Breathe” won Song of The Year at this year’s Grammys, while “Fight For You” was nominated for a Golden Globe. She even jokingly tried out for Silk Sonic, Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars’ new band, a placement that could help her net yet another platinum plaque in the near future.

There’s no release date yet for Back Of My Mind, but the notebook photo she posted on Twitter suggests she’s got at least of a couple of its unknown number of songs in the can already, while her new single “Come Through” is out now. You can listen to that below.