Month: June 2022

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish movies available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

10. (tie) Jackass 4.5 (Netflix)

What we have on our hands with this is a collection of new stunts and some behind-the-scenes of old stunts all featuring the sweet and chaotic boys from Jackass. You love that stuff. Don’t you dare overthink it. Turn your brain off and let the madness wash over you. Watch it on Netflix.

10. (tie) On the Count of Three (VOD)

Jerrod Carmichael is having a moment, garnering all the praise for his revealing and powerful HBO special (Rothaniel, watch it again!), a great turn as SNL host, and now, for the release of his festival fave narrative directorial debut, On The Count Of Three. But, of course, you knew Carmichael was a force from his previous specials and The Carmichael Show. You’re just happy to see everyone else catch up and, with this film, get the chance to see Carmichael flex his dramatic muscles opposite Christopher Abbott as two friends trying to get the most out of the last moments before they execute each other as a part of a suicide pact. Track it down on your VOD service of choice.

10. (tie) Father of the Bride (HBO Max)

No one knows who really asked for this reboot starring Andy Garcia in Steve Martin’s shoes. Does this movie somehow involved literal shoes, as in the first movie? You’ll need to tune in and find out as Garcia’s character yanks everyone’s chain like he’s the real Bridezilla. If anyone can get him under control, it’s Gloria Estefan’s matriarch, and this is good, wholesome fun, people. Watch it on HBO Max.

9. Norm MacDonald: Nothing Special (Netflix)

Look elsewhere for a meditative self-exploration of a comic inching toward the end of his life. Norm Macdonald just wants to tell jokes, delivering a very Norm set in a very non-Norm setting (recorded at home with no audience due to COVID) with urgency. David Letterman puts it perfectly in the loose conversation that follows with him, Conan O’Brien, Dave Chappelle, Adam Sandler, Molly Shannon, and David Spade, saying it’s not stand up, but something different. But it’s still something worth seeing for Norm’s swan song and also the aforementioned conversation, which brings a level of closure to fans who get to hear a few great Norm stories and some thoughts on what made him so unique. Watch it on Netflix.

8. Ambulance (Peacock)

Ambulance has everything you could want in an action movie: frenetic pacing, adrenaline-soaked chase scenes, Michael Bay doing everything at once, hot explosive nonsense, Jake Gyllenhaal as a villainous psychopath with crazy eyes, an ambulance, etc. It’s basically perfect, if this is the type of thing you’re looking for, which you probably are on a Friday or Saturday night. Make some popcorn or order a pizza and get in there. Watch it on Peacock.

7. Dirty Daddy: Bob Saget Tribute (Netflix)

Friends and colleagues of the late comedian and Full House star get together for one last tribute, this one probably full of sweet memories and filthy jokes. Which feels right. Watch it on Netflix.

6. Cha Cha Real Smooth (Apple TV Plus)

Everybody clap your hands for Cha Cha Real Smooth, the second feature from writer and director Cooper Raiff. He also stars in the comedy-drama as a recent college graduate with an aimless life until he finds a job (bar/bat mitzvah “party starter”) and friends (a suburban mom played by Dakota Johnson and her autistic teenage daughter). It sounds like Indie Movie Trope Overload, but Cha Cha Real Smooth is a real charmer, with a heartfelt performance from Johnson. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.

5. Fire Island (Hulu)

Bowen Yang may be the best talent to emerge from Saturday Night Live in years – a fact underscored by the recent departure of comedy greats like Kate McKinnon and Aidy Bryant – but he’s not the only reason this sweet and silly gay romcom works. A BIG reason, sure, but not the only one. There’s also Margaret Cho playing a loopy lesbian house mom, a setting that allows a group of Queer misfits to find a sense of belonging amidst MDMA hazes and pulse-pounding raves, and a central love story that borrows from the period romance wellspring of one Jane Austen. It’s a booze-infused Pride & Prejudice in short swim trunks for the gays and the theys, but the fact that it works so damn well is also proof that the romcom genre should be welcoming more Queer and minority romantic leads into its ranks. Watch it on Hulu.

4. Hustle (Netflix)

Adam Sandler plays a scout for the Philadelphia 76ers who discovers a raw but promising player in Spain. Hijinks ensue. Kind of. It’s more of a dramedy than, say, Jack & Jill, but it’s still Sandler doing his thing. Basketball fans will no doubt be just as interested in the action as they will be picking out all the cameos by NBA stars. It looks like a good time. Watch it on Netflix.

3. Jerry and Marge Go Large (Paramount Plus)

Bryan Cranston and Annette Bening play a married couple who discover a loophole in the state lottery and use it to win millions and millions of dollars. There should be more movies like this. Hundreds of them, probably. But this is a good start. Watch it on Paramount Plus.

2. The Man From Toronto (Netflix)

Kevin Hart, Woody Harrelson, and Kaley Cuoco team up for a comedy about mistaken identity and assassins and probably a few other things, but mostly those. The fuller description looks like this: A loser from Pennsylvania wakes up on vacation and is somehow assumed to be a world-famous contract killer. Hijinks, presumably, ensue. Watch it on Netflix.

1. Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe (Paramount Plus)

Beavis and Butt-head debuted on MTV something like 30 years ago and is still, somehow, against truly staggering odds, still going strong, with this movie sending them to the cosmos and other projects in the works down the line, too. It’s good news, to be sure, but please do imagine telling someone from like 1997 that these two would still be around in 2022 and would be going to space. It would be almost as shocking as the thing where time travel was apparently invented. Watch it on Paramount Plus.

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

Get more streaming recommendations with our weekly What To Watch newsletter.

10. (tie) For All Mankind (Apple TV Plus)

What we have here is an alternate history situation, one where the space race of the 1960s didn’t end, thanks in large part to Russia beating America to a handful of important achievements. The show is now in season three, so there’s plenty for you to dive into if you want, which you probably should, in part due to a bunch of space cowboys doing cool space cowboy things, and in part because all your television-obsessed friends won’t stop talking about it. Win-win. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.

10. (tie) Players (Paramount Plus)

Remember American Vandal? Man, it would be great if you did. That show was incredible, both in its zeitgeist-capturing first season and in its less-viral second season. Go back and watch both of them again some time. You deserve it. Or, maybe, watch Players, the new series from the American Vandal team that was scooped up by Paramount. This one focuses on gamers and gaming and esports and the teams and competitions that have turned into big-money enterprises. You deserve this, too. Watch it on Paramount Plus.

10. (tie)The Old Man (FX/Hulu)

The notorious Jeffs are getting it done, first with Jeff Daniels portraying a complicated lawman in Showtime’s American Rust and now with Jeff Bridges portraying an ex-CIA operative (Dan Chase, what a name) who’s forced into (wait for it) one last job in this adaptation of Thomas Perry’s bestselling thriller novel. John Lithgow plays the impetus, a government agent, who’s really pissing off Bridges’ character, and it’s on. All of Dan’s skills are back, so watch out, naysayers. Watch it on FX/Hulu.

9. Ms. Marvel (Disney Plus)

This show brings us the perfect actress, Iman Vallani, for the leading gig of portraying Kamala Khan. She takes us on a fun-filled revamp of her character’s comic character, and this show is a roaring ball of glee that will help to set up The Marvels, which will not only include Kamala and Carol but also Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris) from WandaVision. The MCU’s lightening up again, and we love to see it. Watch it on Disney Plus.

8. The Bear (Hulu)

Jeremy Allen White can’t leave Chicago, it seems. The Shameless actor’s now portraying a too-intense, former fine-dining chef who ends up back home and attempting to helm a sandwich shop for his family. There’s an emotional reason for this, and the actual realities of running this business turn into a cluster. In the midst of it all, there’s a sense of humanity in how this show portrays relationships, while White’s character (Carmy) transforms his own sense of self and learns to find a second family. Watch it on Hulu.

7. Loot (Apple TV Plus)

One of the biggest problems with television these days is that there are not enough shows that star Maya Rudolph. That’s why it is nice to have Loot, an Apple series that stars Rudolph as a billionaire who learns how the rest of the world lives. It’s a good start. Maya Rudolph is the best. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.

6. Peaky Blinders (Netflix)

By order of the Peaky fookin’ Blinders, we demand you watch the final season of Netflix’s historical crime drama. Why? Because Cillian Murphy has never been better. Because we’re building up to a second World War. Because there are Fascists with tiny mustaches and Prohibition’s over and familial blood feuds are wreaking havoc across two continents and gypsy curses are being broken and Tom Hardy is back (doing his unintelligible mumbling thing while writing an original opera) and … well, you get it right? Watch it on Netflix.

5. The Terminal List (Amazon Prime)

The cast on this one is impressive enough: Chris Pratt, Taylor Kitsch, Constance Wu, etc. Then you add in a big-time Amazon budget and an interesting premise like “an entire team of Navy SEALs gets ambushed and the lone survivor returns home to discover various dark/evil forces working against him,” and yeah, that’s at least enough to get people curious. There’s a lot going on out there and a lot of noise to cut through but this just might do it. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

4. Westworld (HBO Max)

The robots are back. Kind of. Maybe. HBO’s always mindbending Wild West robotic uprising show is back, once again, after a long break. You might want to dig back through previous seasons before diving in again, though. Or at least scan through some summaries. The show is a lot, for good and occasionally messy, but it always delivers on its promise of robot-human violence, which has to count for something. Watch it on HBO Max.

3. Umbrella Academy (Netflix)

It’s a sublime return for the misfit superhero family. As they are crushed to learn, the Sparrow Academy now aims to be front and center, and the O.G. Hargreeves siblings must adjust to this strange new timeline where their common Bad Dad Reginald’s other kiddos exist. Oh, and there’s another rift in the universe, which actually leads Elliot Page’s Viktor to unite with a character who acted fully like an enemy last season. Gerard Way’s comic book series keeps on giving good adaptation, and hopefully, there will be more dancing to go with yet another apocalypse. Watch it on Netflix.

2. The Boys (Amazon Prime)

Finally, The Boys. Are. Back. And so is Homelander, although he is most decidedly not okay after the events of the Season 2 finale, so plenty more increasingly sadistic behavior will soon arrive on that end. He’s got competition in the “hero of heroes” department, though, because Jensen Ackles climbs aboard as Soldier Boy (a profane Captain America knockoff), who’s definitely all up in the “Herogasm” episode, which you should sit down before watching. And expect the show to actually transcend those exploding heads, the whale collision, and Homelander’s self-pleasuring scene atop a skyscraper. In other words, clear you calendar for these weekly decadent delights. Watch it on Amazon Prime.

1. Stranger Things 4 (Netflix)

The second chunk of the fourth season of Stranger Things doesn’t have the same hefty episode count as the first but it is still, in a word, epic. And that’s not because of its cinematic runtimes. Well, not entirely. It is partially due to the cinematic runtimes. But all those minutes are packed with all of the 80s nostalgia, Dungeons and Dragons references, demonic possessions, prison breaks, rink parties, and secret government experiments you could ask for. Who knows what song from the 1980s it will rocket to the top of the charts next. But, no matter what takes place (or who doesn’t make it out alive?), the joy of this season is watching the rest of these weirdos and misfits band together to save each other … and themselves. Watch it on Netflix.

In the lead-up to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, which feels like centuries ago thanks to the pandemic, an unusual fan theory went viral after suggesting a pretty gross method for how Paul Rudd’s Ant-Man could easily dispense with Josh Brolin’s Thanos. That method: Crawling up the purple alien’s butt and then transforming into Giant-Man. It was a whole thing that Rudd, Brolin, and even Endgame directors Joe and Anthony Russo had to respond to at the time. (Everybody had fun.)

However, the Thanos butt theory has never been addressed by the MCU characters until now, and boy, did Marvel pick an interesting venue to rehash the viral moment. According to a new video, Rudd’s Ant-Man addresses the butt theory as part of the Avengers: Quantum Encounter interactive film for the Disney Wish cruise that launches in July. While standing next to Evangeline Lilly’s Wasp, who’s also present for the star-studded feature, Ant-Man plunges into the rectal theory right out of the gate.

Via Ant-Man News on Twitter:

ANT-MAN: Look, before we start, let me address the elephant in the room. I know a lot of chatter out there asking why I didn’t shrink down, go in and uh [makes exploding motion with hands] kill Thanos in a really creative way. First of all, gross. Secondly, it’s much more complicated than that. Allow me to explain–

WASP: If only we had the time!

In Ant-Man’s defense it is pretty complicated. As Rudd explained back when the theory went viral, “Thanos could take a lot of punishment,” so there’s no guarantee that Ant-Man wouldn’t just crush himself and die a horrible death. Brolin also weighed in by suggesting that the Mad Titan would simply poop the tiny Avenger out. So, again, highly complicated stuff involving complex science.

(Via Ant-Man News on Twitter)

Donald Trump is many things — a twice-impeached former-president who has completely lost his mind, for instance — but humble is not one of them. He’s a self-proclaimed “stable genius” who believes that “nobody has done more for religion of all types than me.” And did you know he was “great looking”? Obviously. The most modest thing Trump has ever said is when he called someone else “the smartest guy I’ve ever seen in my life” (of course, he was referring to a member of his family), or maybe that he couldn’t have choked a Secret Service agent because he can’t lift 350 pounds.

During an interview that aired Thursday on Newsmax, Trump responded to Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony that he tried to grab the steering wheel of his Secret Service vehicle after an agent refused to take him to the Capitol on January 6th, “and then motioned toward [the] agent as if Trump wanted to choke him,” as NBC News reported.

“This lady yesterday, there’s something wrong with her,” he told anchor Rob Finnerty. “Is there something wrong? She said I jumped from a car and I started strangling — think of this — I started strangling a Secret Service agent who I know very well.” Trump believes Hutchinson is “living in fantasy land. She’s a social climber if you call that social.” (I can’t believe he missed an opportunity to plug his failing social media platform.)

“Who would do that? I would grab a Secret Service person by the throat?” he said.

“I don’t even know if it’s possible,” Finnerty remarked of Trump’s ability to grab the steering wheel.

“It’s very hard,” Trump admitted. “It’s very hard for another reason. These guys lift 350 lbs. I don’t.”

That would qualify as working out, which Trump is actively opposed to.

You can watch the interview below.

(Via Raw Story)

As the Stranger Things season four finale inches near, it’s clear that there are more than a few plotlines that need to be wrapped up (will Joyce and Hopper ever get out of Russia?! Can Eleven stand up to her bullies without potentially murdering them?) and star Gaten Matarazzo has been teasing some drama.

While stopping by The Tonight Show, the actor, who plays Dustin, confirmed everything that the Duffer Bros have been not-so-subtly implying that the final two episodes would not only feature lots of death and destruction but also be a Marvel-length feature.

“The eighth episode is, I think, probably an hour and a half,” he said. “But episode nine is getting close to two and a half hours. It’s a movie.” The final episode run times were confirmed last week: episode nine will end up clocking in at two hours and twenty minutes.

Despite the length, Matarazzo says it will be worth it. “It’s all starting to pay off, and everything works, and it’s really cool.” Matarazzo added. “You learn a lot.” Hopefully that will not include learning of Steve Harrington’s death!

Of course, Matarazzo also gave a behind the scenes anectdote about this season’s mega-villian Venca, played by Jamie Campbell Bower. He mentions the first time he saw the actor in fully demonic gear,

“I saw Vecna sitting there, and I looked at him and was like, ‘Hi, it’s great to see you,’” he joked. “I haven’t seen him since the table read, and he was just like (nonchalantly), ‘Yeah, how are you? It’s good to see you’ — in a lawn chair, feet up. Whole half done up in Vecna gear. It is unsettling and just bonkers.” Bonkers is one way to put it!

Stranger Things season four part 2 drops tomorrow on Netflix.

In case you haven’t seen yet, Machine Gun Kelly celebrated his Madison Square Garden performance by taking a champagne glass and smashing it against his forehead at an after-party. To promote his new documentary Life In Pink, the Mainstream Sellout star went on Late Night With Seth Meyers and touched on the incident.

When Meyers asked how he was, he replied by saying that he felt “like sh*t.” He clarified, “You know when you clink a champagne glass with a fork to kind of get people’s attention? Yeah, I didn’t have a fork. So I just clinked it on my head.” He added, “So I had a serious case of that last night.” At one point, he even accidentally touches his forehead and flinches because of the pain.

Meyers brought up the fact that the Empire State Building was shining pink lights in honor of his documentary. The “My Ex’s Best Friend” singer explained that he went up to the top of the building where tourists are usually taken up, but he was then shown a secret ladder to go even higher up. “Thank God I didn’t have a champagne glass up there,” he quipped.

Watch the interview with MGK above.

Over the past year, rapper Saweetie has been everywhere, from guest slots on TV shows like Grown-ish, to her own Sex: Unzipped Netflix special, and of course, her own meal at McDonald’s. But what’s been noticeably missing is a full-length album from the “Closer” rapper.

For years, she’s been teasing her debut album, Pretty Bitch Music. Yesterday, she took to Instagram to share an update on her long-awaited debut.

“These past couple of years have been a growing experience for me as an artist, human, but most importantly a WOMAN,” Saweetie said in an Instagram story. “I have realized my purpose with the platform God has given me which is why I have taken my time with releasing music this time around. Through hours of self-reflection I have realized that Pretty B.*.T.C.H. music is not an album — it’s a movement. It’s a culture. It’s a language. It’s a lifestyle. We not rushing art, we taking our time! This ain’t no microwave sh*t! It’s baking & it will definitely be worth the taste.”

While it may be a while until we get new music from Saweetie, we certainly can expect to see plenty of projects from her, given her impressive résumé. Last week, it was announced she teamed up with Crocs for a collection of “Icy” Jibbitz charms.

Saweetie is a Warner Music Artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Howard Stern has reportedly secured a running mate for a 2024 presidential run that the shock jock claims to be seriously considering. During the Wednesday episode of his show, Stern informed co-host Robin Quivers that Oscar-winning actor Bradley Cooper has agreed to join the ticket.

“This guy is gonna bring in the female vote like you wouldn’t believe,” Stern said before revealing how Cooper was the first and only person he asked, which made the whole process surprisingly easy. “He said yes, so my search is over.” Via HuffPost:

Stern said he received a congratulations text from the “A Star is Born” filmmaker when Stern touted his presidential bid this week. Stern said he used the chance to ask Cooper if he’d be his vice president. “Done,” was Cooper’s reported response.

Cooper expressed concerns about being “another white male,” Stern said, but the so-called King of All Media reassured the “Maestro” star that he’d be “such an asset, people will understand.”

Of course, the announcement of a Stern/Cooper ticket is making it harder to sell the shock jock’s president run as a serious endeavor. Granted, Stern is genuinely mad about Roe v. Wade being overturned and wants to add five more justices to the Supreme Court to counteract Clarence Thomas who’s “sitting there like Darth Vader,” but the likelihood of Stern launching a successful presidential run is pretty slim.

However, when it comes to stirring up attention, Stern is one of the best. Following the news of his presidential run, which quickly went viral, he once again set social media moment ablaze by having a “hot mic” moment where he claimed to be working on a Doctor Doom project for Marvel that even diehard fans didn’t know about. Was he trolling? Possibly. But as we’ve seen with Trump, getting eyeballs can get you very far in a presidential election.

(Via HuffPost)

Vladimir Putin found a hopeful friend within the House of Reps, but it’s really a signal that his Ukraine plan is not going well for him.

That’s no understatement. Putin’s disastrous war on Ukraine has led to a 20-year low for his approval rating, and even one of his long-time allies has trashed his “colossal mistake” of deciding to invade Ukraine. He’s reportedly in danger of being assassinated by someone in his inner circle, and the Kremlin is ragingly issuing period lists of Americans who are not welcome in Russia. That would include several U.S. lawmakers, including “Moscow Mitch” McConnell, but there’s one congressperson who might be on Putin’s party list in the future.

Actually, Putin might wanna pass and then redo his whole strategy after learning of his new buddy. Marjorie Taylor Greene — she of the “gazpacho police” quote and “Jewish space laser” conspiracy theory — has reacted to recent news about NATO. The international military alliance recently invited Finland and Sweden into their fold (amid fears that Putin will keep invading nations during his imperialistic fervor), and Greene must not be impressed. Further, she believes that the U.S. should leave NATO, and (via Raw Story) she worries that Biden will join the Russia-Ukraine conflict when she believes that Russia should simply be allowed to do it’s thing.

“The American people do not want war with Russia, but NATO and our own foolish leaders are dragging us into one,” Greene tweeted. “A war that no one will win. Escalation over Ukraine, a non-member nation, risking nuclear war is a power play endangering the entire world. We should pull out of NATO.”

Of course, there’s no real use in trying to make sense of Greene’s strategy because she rarely makes any sense with her points. And Russia’s now growing increasingly isolated, but does he need friends that badly to appreciate Greene’s embrace? This really should be a sign for him to step back and realize that the writing is on the wall when it comes to friends and allies. He’s painted himself into a corner, where it seems like his only recourse for newfound support is to cozy up to the Taliban, and now, there’s Marjorie Taylor Greene in his ballpark. Time for a reset.

(Via Raw Story)

As a parody artist, “Weird Al” Yankovic doesn’t have to get permission from anybody to make his comical spins on popular music, but he makes sure to anyway. It’s something he’s talked about on multiple occasions over the years and a FAQ on his website explains, “Al does get permission from the original writers of the songs that he parodies. While the law supports his ability to parody without permission, he feels it’s important to maintain the relationships that he’s built with artists and writers over the years.”

So what this means is that during his career, there have been songs Yankovic wanted to make/release but didn’t because the original artist said no and he respected their desires. That includes Beck, who now says he wishes he had given Yankovic the go-ahead.

In a new installment of Audible Original’s Words + Music (as Billboard notes), Beck talks about “Loser” and says, “‘Weird Al’ Yankovic tried to do a version of it. It was going to be called ‘Schmoozer.’ I regret denying him permission to do it. I think it would have been an amazing video. I’m actually really sad it didn’t happen.”

As for Yankovic, he’s currently in the midst of his gigantic The Unfortunate Return Of The Ridiculously Self-Indulgent Ill-Advised Vanity Tour, which has a whopping 133 dates.